Tale of a Traitor
by SuperYuuki
Summary: Two years after the Winter War, a young woman from the real world finds herself unceremoniously dropped just inside the gates of Seireitei, but not without reason. However, for someone that knows everything about the reality in which she now resides, her heaven cannot last. Arturo Plateado x OC
1. This is not an Anime convention

**A/N:** I couldn't resist… I know there are a lot of these, but it's really fun, so… yeah. Oh, I got the Official Bleach Bootleg: Color Bleach+ and I took the quizzes. Ready for this? I scored an eighty-seven on the Shinigami Academy Entrance Exam and the squad I'm best suited for is Squad Six. In other words, I fail… epically… but at least I'd have Byakuya as my taichou… meh. I was expecting the quiz to say that I belonged in the twelfth, because that's just my luck. Actually, I was really hoping for third, tenth, or fifth because the third is very laid-back, the tenth has Matsumoto, and the fifth has… _Aizen-sama._ In the fifth I could torment Hinamori to my heart's content… maybe even buy a pair of eyeglasses and break them in half right in front of her while saying "I shall stand at the top." (Yachiru does something similar to this in an Omake… I laughed.)

As you can tell, I don't particularly like Hinamori Momo.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I woke up to a blinding sun and sweltering heat. Groaning, I sat up and looked around at my surroundings. I was in the middle of a deserted, dusty street. All around were traditional Japanese style buildings, with a repetitive color scheme of blue and white.

"What the Hell?" I murmured, "This isn't Tora-Con. This looks more like…" it couldn't be. No fucking way. If this was Seireitei then I had to be dead. I _so_ wasn't dead, and I was pretty sure newly dead souls ended in Rukongai, not the Seireitei.

Suddenly concerned for my own safety, I regarded my clothing. Okay, red pleated skirt is okay, cute gray tee-shirt that says "I made you a cupcake but I eated it" is okay, adorable Kon hat… passable. But the replica Third Squad Lieutenant's arm band… not so much. That would get arrested if this was really Seireitei for impersonating a high-ranking member of the Gotei Thirteen. Carefully, I removed the armband, folding the white fabric band properly before slipping it safely away in my normal black backpack along with the badge part. I always treated that thing with respect. Call it what you will, but I did realize that my obsession with Bleach was a tad unhealthy. But at least I wasn't a Yaoi fan-girl, god forbid. Yaoi is okay, but I'd only read it if I trusted the author or adored the pairing. Aizen x Ichigo is only good if written correctly and only if Aizen is being written as a very deep character, not some stereotype antagonistic rapist with a god-complex. Aizen-sama was so much more complicated than that, goddammit!

Shoot, what was I doing again?

"Um… hello."

I jumped a bit, a turned my still-seated body towards the voice. I recognized the boy. He stood a few feet away from me and seemed vaguely frightened. "Uh… hi."

"I – I'm Yamada Hanatarou-" he started.

I cut him off. "Seventh seat of the fourth division and leader of the fourteenth advanced relief team," I stated. He seemed a bit shocked. I knew he'd probably want to know who I was, and not only would my American name seem oddly misplaced, but it was mundane and unexciting. So I decide I'd go with the name of one of my OCs. This one wasn't very far in the development stage and I probably would never use her outside of role-playing, so why not use her name for this real life role play? "My name is Yumekanau Aozora. It's nice to meet you, Yamada-san," I added with a smile.

"Um- uh…"

I looked around a bit, realizing I had no idea where I was. "Hey, can you direct me to the Shinigami Academy. I must've gotten lost." Just play along with it and everything will be alright. "Oh, and one more thing! Can you tell me if Aizen Sousuke, Ichimaru Gin, and Tousen Kaname are still captains?"

"Um… Ex-captain Aizen Sousuke is in prison, Tousen Kaname is deceased, and Ichimaru-taichou just woke from a two-year coma," he stammered.

I nodded solemnly. That sounded right. So this was post-Winter War, huh? I guess nothing I could say would help. I stood and hefted my backpack over my shoulder. I made an effort to look sincerely disappointed. "What a shame. I had heard that Aizen-taichou's Calligraphy classes at the academy were excellent. I'd planned on taking a class. Oh well." I shrugged, "Good for Ichimaru-taichou, though."

Hanatarou smiled shyly. "I – I can accompany you to the academy, that is, if – if you don't mind."

Giving him a polite smile, I said, "That would be great! Thank you, Yamada-san."

. . . . . . . . .

"Eh… so… uh… this is it." He finally managed to get out.

I stared at the large white gate before me. A phrase I'd read once flashed in my mind. "To all young people who aspire to become Soul Reapers: Pound on the gates of Soul Reaper Academy, and the way will open to you…" I whispered.

Hanatarou tilted his head. "Huh? You read Seireitei Bulletin?"

"I have a copy of the special issue," I said quietly as stepped up to the gates. If you had to really pound hard on the door, then I'd be in trouble, for I had absolutely no upper body strength. "Quiz said I was fit for the Sixth Division, and I scored an eighty-six on the test."

Hanatarou gasped. "That's… amazing! Most only barely pass!" He seemed to calm down a bit. "But I hear they got a lot harder, more heavily focused on knowledge of captains and Zanpakuto, and just this year they added a section on Kurosaki Ichigo and the Winter War. Chances are you may not do as good, especially if you didn't study."

Grinning, I said, "If that's what it focuses on, then I may actually do better." With that, I knocked as hard as I could on the gates, my smile spreading farther as the large gates creaked open…

. . . . . . . . .

"Name?" asked the bored looking Shinigami.

"Yumekanau Aozora," I answered quickly and precisely.

"Age?"

I thought for a second. My real age was sixteen, but that would look a tad odd here. Not too old… certainly over fifty, but definitely younger than one-hundred. "… Ninety-four."

He sighed. "District of origin?"

Randomly pulling a number out of my head, I said "Fourty-second." Great, _Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ reference.

He scribbled it down on my application and then looked at me. "Any reason for the… interesting attire?"

"I really wasn't planning on doing this today."

Rolling his eyes, he handed the paper to me. "Go to room twelve. That's where the written exam is taking place. Give that paper to the Shinigami there and they will give you further instruction."

Nodding, I took the paper and trotted down the hallway until I found room twelve. I opened the door and walked in.

"Why, _hello there!"_ exclaimed a cheerful voice. She had long, blond hair and wore a pink scarf, but what really caught my attention was the reason why she was one of the most recognizable characters in the Bleach series. Those huge, exposed, soft-

Woah, no, no, no, no. Matsumoto Rangiku was not going cause me to lapse back into bisexuality. Hell no. No, no, no, no, no, no, a thousand times no!

"Um – I – I'm supposed to give this to you?" I stuttered, holding out my application.

She took it and looked it over quickly. "Ah, Yumekanau Aozora! Nice name!"

"Uh… thanks…"

Matsumoto handed me a rather thick packet of paper. "Don't be intimidated by how long it is. It's only like that so if you get one question wrong it won't destroy your grade. Also, you actually only need a forty or higher to pass. It's just so we can scope out the geniuses. You can start immediately."

I nodded then found an empty seat and picked up a pencil, writing Yumekanau Aozora in Kanji on the front. Thank god for my tendency to learn all my characters' names in Kanji or at least Katakana. I opened to the first page.

**Section 1: Zanjutsu**

** Question One: What is a Zanpakuto?**

. . . They can't be serious. Everyone would answer something different for that! What the Hell! Sighing, I wrote down my opinion.

'_Zanpakuto are part of a Shinigami's soul and the source of their power. They commonly manifest themselves as swords, but to their owner they manifest as their true form. They are a Shinigami's partner in battle, as long as one has a Zanpakuto, you never fight alone.'_

Okay, maybe a tad deep, but whatever.

**Question Two: How does one achieve Shikai?**

Again, many different answers! I sighed and wrote down the most correct one.

_When a Shinigami learns their Zanpakuto's name thus earning its trust, then Shikai is achieved._

I flew through the Zanjutsu section pretty quickly, then came the section on Kidou, which I found myself absolutely lost on. I probably had a couple questions right, but I surely didn't pass that part.

Next was History, which was basically all about Kurosaki Ichigo.

**Section Three: History, Winter War, and Kurosaki Ichigo**

**Question One: Who was the first Shinigami Kurosaki Ichigo fought against in the Soul Society and what was the outcome?**

_Ichimaru Gin. The captain of the third division walked out of the battle after closing the gate to the Seireitei, which had been opened by Jidanbo._

I breezed through the written questions pretty quickly. Then came the quaint little True-False section. You had to answer true or false then give the correct answer if false. I inadvertently decided to over-answer the question. You know, provide more information than the question actually asked for.

**Kurosaki Ichigo fought Kenpachi Zaraki twice and won both times. **_ False. Kurosaki fought Kenpachi once, barely winning after fighting an inner battle and becoming more in-touch with his Zanpakuto, Zangetsu._

** Sado Yasutora fought Kyoraku Shunsui and lost.**_ True._

** No one faced Aizen Sousuke in Hueco Mundo. **_True. He had other people for that._

** Ulquiorra Schiffer was the fifth Espada. **_False. Ulquiorra Schiffer was the fourth Espada, though in his Segunda Etapa he was stronger than the first Espada. He had an infatuation with Inoue Orihime that wasn't romantic. Not at all. The fifth Espada was Nnoitra Jiruga, a chauvinist pig who usurped the previous third Espada, Nelliel Tu Oderschwank. Nnoitra Jiruga was defeated by Kenpachi Zaraki, and Ulquiorra Schiffer was defeated by Kurosaki Ichigo._

Maybe I'd went a little overboard. But that would only get me placed in a higher class. The rest of the test passed by rather easily, then, as I reached the final question, a written one, I grinned evilly.

**Bonus Question: Name the Espada in order and their Fraccion.**

_First Espada: Starrk Coyote; Lilinette Gingerback_

_ Second Espada: Barragan Luisbarn; Ggio Vega; Findor; Charlotte Chulhorne; C. N. Poww._

_ Third Espada: Halibel Tia; Mila-Rose; Sun-Sun; Apache._

_ Former Third: Nelliel Tu Oderschwank; Pesche; Dondochakka._

_ Fourth: Ulquiorra Schiffer_

_ Fifth: Nnoitra Jiruga; Tesla_

_ Sixth: Grimmjow Jeagerjacques; Illforte; Shawlong; D-Roy; _

_ Seventh: Zommari Leroux_

_ Eighth: Szayel Aporro Granz; Lumina; Verona_

_ Ninth: Aaroniero Aroniunie (or whatev)._

_ Tenth/Zero: Yammy_

Easy as that. I couldn't remember the names of all of Grimm-kitty's fraccion, and I couldn't remember the full names of Barrangan's, so I abbreviated. But still, it was an answer. I decided not to add the privaron Espada because I couldn't remember exactly what number they used to be. I remember Cirucci was eighth, but I didn't want to push it.

I raised my hand. "Um… Matsumoto-fukutaichou?" I called out tentatively.

"Huh?" she looked in my direction. "Yeah, Yumekanau-chan?"

"What do I do with my test when I'm finished?"

She looked at me oddly. "Finished already?"

I nodded.

"That was fast," she hopped over to me, "I'll take it." Snatching the packet of paper from my desk, she trotted back over to the teacher's desk at the front and set the test on it. She looked back at me and grinned. "You can head to gymnasium four where they're holding the physical test."

I stood, and bowed, "Thank you, Matsumoto-fukutaichou." Several of the other kids in the room looked at me in awe. Apparently, they thought the questions were difficult. Turning I walked out the door and headed toward gymnasium four.

. . . . . .. . . . . .

Matsumoto looked to one of the other Shinigami in the room with her. She wasn't wearing her fukutaichou's badge today as not to intimidate the recruits. "Hey, did I ever mention my name to her?"

The Shinigami thought for a moment. "No. No you didn't."

"How weird."

. . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** I'm gonna say this right now. This will not be updated for a long time. I just wanted to get it up there.

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PREVIEW:

The next person I ran into was Hisagi Shuuhei. "And you are…?" he asked, holding a clipboard.

I wondered why there were so many lieutenants were on Academy duty. I stood tall and straight, "Yumekanau Aozora, sir," I said, saluting.

He smiled at that. "Nice attitude, Yumekanau-san," Hisagi scribbled down a few notes. "Gym four is right behind this door."


	2. Timeskip and First Encounter

**A/N:** As much as I wish to say Aozora's real name was mine, it's not. So to those that know me and see "Co – er Yumekanau Aozora" and think "ha… it's her…" it's not. Her real name is not mine. It won't be a plot device, per se, but revealing her name would be considered a spoiler, so I'm not going to. If ya wanna know that bad (Mickaela), just text me.

The theme song for this story is "Jillian/I'd Give My Heart" by Within Temptation. It will make more sense once the story really gets going.

The theme for the Aozora x Arturo relationship is at first "Crashed" by Chris Daughtry. _At first_. Their relationship will be a bit dynamic.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach. I own Yumekanau Aozora AND HER FAMILY NAME. I see any O.C. that's not mine with the name Yumekanau, I swear to god… See, I'm rarely even this strict about names, but the name Yumekanau I worked hard to come up with.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The next person I ran into was Hisagi Shuuhei. "And you are…?" he asked, holding a clipboard.

I wondered why there were so many lieutenants were on Academy duty. I stood tall and straight, "Yumekanau Aozora, sir," I said, saluting.

He smiled at that. "Nice attitude, Yumekanau-san," Hisagi scribbled down a few notes. "Gym four is right behind this door."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Rule twenty-seven: Stay the hell out of my damned face.

Apparently, people here didn't understand that concept. The moment I stepped into the gym, some burly Shinigami I didn't recognize got right up in my face and started asking questions. I was tempted to grab an asauchi and whack him with it, but one didn't make it this far into possible insanity without some semblance of self-control.

Eventually, someone out of my direct eyesight said, "She's got considerable spiritual pressure for someone just out of Rukongai. Give her a chance."

The instructor that had been asking questions (unanswered questions) backed off and grabbed a practice sword, tossing it to me. "Fine, show us what ya got, then."

Okay. I had no upper body strength. This may end badly. I stood before the second year academy student that they had helping with the exams, and held the asauchi at ready. At least I wasn't at a total loss here. Back home I used to have Nerf sword fights with the neighbors. Me and my next door neighbor owned the neighborhood. Of course, that was with plastic swords, not the real thing.

As soon as the instructor signal for the battle to begin, I lunged, attempting a move that seemed to work with the Nerf swords. It would leave my defenses wide open, but I doubt the student thought I was actually going to respond so quickly. I sliced at the hand holding the sword, causing the student to cry out in surprise and falter. With Nerf swords, you simply hit their hand hard enough that they dropped their sword. With real swords… well, I only knew theory from reading and writing so much fan-fiction. In _theory_, I should be pretty good with swords. In practice, I had no idea.

I followed up the strike with a kick to the stomach, because I figured my legs had to be pretty strong from rollerblading. The student stumbled backwards onto his behind, startled. I dropped my sword and held out my hand, which he willingly grasped as I helped him up. "S'okay," I said off-handedly, "It was just beginner's luck."

He nodded.

"Well, Yumekanau-san," I heard a voice from the doorway. I turned to see Hisagi Shuuhei, who'd obviously been watching. "It looks like you pass. Welcome to Shino Academy."

I smiled. Oh yes, I had to be completely insane.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Twenty-Four years later…_

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _

"Fourth-Seat Yumekanau!" I heard Sachiro call.

I clambered to gather my Shihakusho. "Coming!" I shouted. Things very often got lost in my abyssal hole of a bedroom. I just needed to find two more things… my Zanpakuto, and my hat.

"FOURTH-SEAT YUMEKANAU!"

"I SAID JUST A SECOND!" I lifted a box of under-used art supplies, to find the light tan sheath of Akatora, and luckily, this time it actually contained the Zanpakuto. Hastily, I slipped it into the sash of my uniform and continued to look for the moss green paper-boy style hat.

"THE PATROL IS LEAVING IN FIVE MINUTES! YOU BETTER GET YOUR ASS MOVING!"

I found the hat under my pillow. Should've freaking known. I pulled it on, the only article of clothing that could contain my messy dirty-blonde hair.

Stoping briefly in front of the mirror, I made sure I was presentable. I wore tight, form fitting undershirts beneath the loose top of my Shihakusho. The top was modified (A girl of many talents, I made it myself) and the low neck was complimented by the fact that it didn't cover my navel. It didn't reveal any cleavage, though, due to the fact that the tight black undershirt covered not only my chest, but my neck as well. It was actually rather comfortable. The material breathed surprisingly well.

I ran out the door, grabbing Sachiro, the third-seat, by the collar and yelling, "Whacha doing hanging around here, Sachiro? We're gonna be late for the patrol!" The well-built man scowled at me before Flash-Stepping along with me towards the North Gate.

We arrive just in the nick of time. We saluted to the commanding officer, our voices stumbling over each other as we tried to introduce ourselves at the same time. We ending up looking at each other before bursting into laughter. Then I gestured to him. "You go first."

He saluted to the Lieutenant, which wasn't one of the original ones from the series. It was a lame replacement that I didn't bother to learn the name of. "Third Seat of the Third Division, Takaki Sachirou, sir!"

My turn. "Fourth Seat of the Third Division, Co – er… Yumekanau Aozora!" Oh gosh that was close. Almost said my old name. _That_ would have been embarrassing. And hard to explain. Don't forget hard to explain.

Together, we said, "Reporting for duty, SIR!"

Sachiro, in case you didn't recognize him, was that second year I utterly PWNed waaaaay back when. We'd had several rematches over the years, and as you could probably guess from our ranks, I still couldn't beat him again. That first battle was such a fluke it wasn't funny.

"Today we are going to be patrolling districts fifty through sixty. As is the usual, you will be split up into your usual groups of three," the lieutenant announced. He went through several names, assigning each their district until he finally got to my group. "Takaki Sachirou, Yumekanau Aozora, Chikafuki Youta: District fifty-nine."

As soon as he finished, we flashed off. Out of the three of us, Chikafuki was the slowest. Actually, we were pretty all-around, just with slight edges in different places. Youta definitely was best at Hakuda, hand-to-hand, Sachirou was best at Shunpo and Zanjutsu, while I had an upper hand in kidou. I still sucked. But then again, most Shinigami below the rank of eighth seat had completely horrible abilities, so being a fourth seat, I was rather lucky to even have a Shikai. I may have been because I already knew that a Zanpakuto was more than weapon, I didn't need to learn. From the get-go respected my Zanpakuto, from the moment it materialized in my hands in my sixth academy year. Even in the ten years that passed before I spoke to her, I made it quite clear to the Zanpakuto that I knew she was there, and I respected her space. I didn't push her to tell me her name. Shy in nature, the Zanpakuto and I spent five years just talking and hanging out. I rather liked my inner world. It was a savannah, plains of golden grass swaying in the gentle wind. The Zanpakuto made it clear that when I was distraught, it didn't rain there like I thought. No, it actually rained when I was happy, a light sprinkle of water was good for an African plain. When I was sad, they had _draughts_. All the grass shriveled up and the ground got all dry and cracked.

The spirit of my Zanpakuto appeared to me in two different forms. Normally, she was a sleek, red-ish orange tiger. But occasionally, she showed herself in a humanoid form, like from the Zanpakuto Unknown Tales Arc. Of course, when she first showed that form to me, I used that moment to unleash my Epic WTF Face of Doom (E.W.T.F.F.D.). She was about as voluptuous as Rangiku, which sparked the last shreds of bi-ness left in my system, but my Zanpakuto was basically part of me and that would be self-cest. Big fat _**NO**_. She had a mischievous face, and I couldn't compare to anyone else's like normal. Both her feet and hands her still paws. Clawed paws. She had shoulder length red hair and… nekomimi. Cat ears. Oh, did I mention she dressed like Shiba Kukaku? Yeah. And, to top it all off, she had a tail. But, on the up side, she was rather mellow. She liked to swim in the little watering hole that was there when I wasn't stressed or anything. She'd commented on the fact that while she wasn't exactly an elemental type Zanpakuto, she had a bit of an affiliation with fire and water, an odd combination, but she had no control of those things, she merely got along with them. I suppose you could say that Akatora had a bit of a resistance against those two elements.

We arrived in district fifty-nine, which, while being not extremely bad, was still rather shady. The three of us immediately fell into routine, staying about two streets away from each other, walking leisurely down the streets as if we belong there. I took a less busy street, but most of the streets here were busy today. The buildings weren't in complete disrepair as they were in the seventies and the upper sixties, but it certainly wasn't in the condition the single digits and the teens were. I'd long learned that the state of the people and their living conditions were unavoidable, and should be accepted.

A few of the younger kids seemed to be playing a little game of "See who can get closest to the Soul Reaper." I was familiar with the game. A few months ago one kid got the guts to run up and poke me gently in the side. I just laughed politely. Kids were so cute.

One of the kids, this one was a little girl about seven years old physically, ran up to me on unclothed feet, and tugged on my sleeve. I lowered my gaze to look at her. "Hm?"

She had widen, bright blue eyes and black hair that was put up in a little ponytail. "Miss Shinigami, you wouldn't happen to have any food, would you?" she asked quietly and innocently.

I blinked, hearing calls of her slightly older friends telling her to get back. After a moment, I reached into my bag. I accidentally skipped lunch yesterday, and I think I still had some granola bars and perhaps a baggie of goldfish crackers that I'd gotten the last time I went to the World of the Living. I found an entire handful of granola bars, but Youta must've swiped the goldfish from my bag when I wasn't looking. I handed her the granola bars, and her eyes widened more as she gasped in happiness. I heard her companions yell in disbelief.

"Th – Thank you, miss," she said, about to run off again, but I gestured for her to wait. I was _pretty_ sure I still had that candy I'd relieved Captain Hitsugaya of. I gestured for the girl's friends to come over, and they did, reluctantly and in little pioneering groups. I handed out the sweets fairly evenly (Hitsugaya got a _lot_ of candy from Ukitake, and Kusajishi-fukutaichou didn't need all of it), much to the children's joy.

They thanked me in harmony and ran off to wherever their homes were to eat their sweets in peace.

I slung my bag back over my shoulder, continuing on my patrol. Things seemed to continue on fairly normally. The people went about their activities peacefully. It took about an hour for things to go wrong. It happened as things normally do in Rukongai. A roar was heard, and all the citizens immediately dropped what they were doing and scampered into whatever shelter they could find. My hand instinctively went to the handle of my Zanpakuto, not unsheathing it, but ready to do so. Everything was eerily quiet. The wind didn't blow, the birds didn't chirp, everything was perfectly still.

Suddenly, the building to my left exploded in an eruption of wood and dust, a moderately large hollow crashing into the street, shrieking with rage. I jumped to avoid the falling rubble, getting a good view of the thing. It was big and powerful, obviously, but it looked so… so… stupid.

I unsheathed Akatora, about to release into Shikai when I spotted a flash of white and mint green. I'd seen that green before. Where, where, _where_?

Stepping back, I examined the new arrival. It was an Arrancar man, with a mask fragment that reminded me of a triceratops combined with that blue haired Espada's mask fragment, oh, what was his name… Grimmjow! My memory of the Winter War stuff had gotten fuzzy over the years, and it was hard to recall the names of some people. He had mint-ish green hair that was flipped to the side of his head that his mask didn't cover. He didn't go for his Zanpakuto, rather, he simply slashed his hand across the Hollow's mask and it disappeared, dissolving. He mumbled something, something to the effect of 'hating disobedient subordinates.' He turned, spotting. He gave me an odd look before his attention was suddenly diverted.

"ARRANCAR!" Sachirou yelled as he charged at him, his Zanpakuto already in Shikai. The Arrancar (shoot, why couldn't I remember his freaking name?) blocked the blow easily with his forearm.

He scoffed. "Foolish Soul Reaper," he stated. Why was that Spanish accent so damn familiar?

I knew this was bad. "SACHIROU! GET OUT OF THERE!" I screamed. It was too late, the Arrancar sliced his hand across Sachirou's chest just like he had with the Hollow, and the third seat looked at the Arrancar in shock as he fell to ground, blood pooling around him. "SACHIROU!" I called.

Turning to the Arrancar, I held my hand out and quickly murmured, "Carriage of Thunder. Bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six," I raised my voice, "Bakudo number sixty-one! Rokujōkōrō!" Caught somewhat by surprise, the six thin bars of light slammed into the Arrancar's midsection. He gazed at his restraints with bewilderment, as if he didn't expect them to be about to restrain him. I ran over to Sachirou, who didn't appear to be breathing. "Keikatsu!" I shouted, the healing technique forming a blue-ish light over his body. As the Kido faded, I still got no response from him. "KEIKATSU!" I shouted, louder, forcefully. It would work. I would make it work. Because if it didn't work, then… I… I…

Once more the spell faded, and Sachirou was still not breathing. I checked his pulse, only to find that he had none. No… no, no, no, no. I stood, and turned towards the Arrancar. He looked at me with an expression similar to that of surprise mixed with a his usual contempt. I finally remembered his name, which had been so difficult to remember because the character wasn't even in the main storyline or even the anime, he was only in two of the video games. "YOU!" I shouted, "YOU DID THIS!" I scowled, "Arturo Plateado…"

I held my hand out to the side, "Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle!" I screamed, "Hado number sixty-three! Raikōhō!" I fired the kido, the yellow orb exploding on contact, in a fury of electricity. Unfortunately, exactly at that moment, he broke free of his restraints, moving to avoid the brunt of the attack, but still coming out completely unscathed. I didn't have time to react as he was in front of me, towering over my short form. A dark colored saber of energy materialized from his hand as he sliced downward, blood pouring out of the wound across my chest, accompanied by a burning sensation.

Collapsing to my knees, I absently noticed that the energy had cauterized the wound. "Consider yourself lucky, Shinigami," Arturo said snidely, "You will not die here today." He sonido'd away, just as I fell forward into the dirt. I could sense the various little Rukongai kids making their way out of woodwork cautiously and slowly to see what had happened. Poor kids… they had to be so scared.

As consciousness began to slip from me, I hear the familiar voice of Chikafuki Youta, "Takaki? Yumekanau? …Yumekanau!"

The last thing I saw before passing out was the red-haired man's feet as he approached me.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When I woke, finding myself not accompanied by the constant scent of that lavender air freshener shit that I soaked my room in, I panicked. Bolting up, I banged heads with a familiar black head of hair. Dazed, both of us fell backwards, I back onto my pillow, he onto the floor. Quickly recovering, I rubbed my head and sat up, "Iya… Good to see again, too, Hanatarou-san."

He stood, a goose egg developing on his forehead. I felt sorry for the kid. I had a notoriously hard head. "Haha… Yeah, Yumekanau-san, it's been awhile, hasn't it."

I laughed, wincing as I irritated my wounds in doing so. Then the events of before came rushing back to me. I shot up again, turning to the timid healer, "Hanatarou! How is Sachirou! Is he okay?" I commanded.

His expression fell. "I – I'm so sorry Yumekanau-san… he was already dead when Chikafuki-san got you guys back here."

Falling back down on my pillow, I sighed. Damned Arrancar. Why couldn't he just get over it and go… wherever it was he hung out between schemes? That said, which storyline were we following here? The one from Bleach: The 3rd Phantom or the one from Bleach: Shattered Blade? Had to be the latter. Otherwise he'd be dead and the entire situation here would be different (I'd asked around and there was no one by the name of Suzunami Seigen, Kudo Matsuri, or Kudo Fujimaru anywhere in the records, and I'd asked a couple of the Shinigami that they'd known and they didn't recognize the names, so I was assuming…), seeing as that the former followed a completely different storyline than Bleach.

I felt a comforting presence enter the room, "Hello, Unohana-taichou," I said before looking.

She smiled. "Hello to you, too, Yumekanau-chan. You had quite the close call there, it seems. Before any formal reports are filled out, I need to know what happened out there," she said gently.

I inhaled sharply. "Just a huge Hollow that had a couple tricks that we weren't prepared for. I took care of it just before I passed out," I said calmly. I was hesitant to tell them about Plateado. I didn't want a huge man hunt sent out to kill him. The bastard was _mine_. I might not be all that strong, but I could still always get stronger. Stronger… Sachirou and I were going to get stronger together. I was going to be Third-Seat one day, and he'd be Lieutenant. Now, I'd be Third-Seat by default.

Even though I was pretty sure that back when I was human/alive, I was a bit of an Arturo fan-girl, but any trance of that now had to be BURNED. I swear, the next time I found that Arturo bastard, I was going to kill him. I was going to kill him and his sexy, sexy, Spainish accent!

Wait – What?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** Admit it! That voice is sexy! I think I'm alone in this opinion, though. I dig the wings, but they didn't seem appropriate for this encounter. So. The chapter is over 3,500 words. That's pretty good for me. I was going to stop when she passed out, but I decided, "nah, let's just keep going until my mother realizes I've been on the computer _way_ over my time limit." XD

So here we are.


	3. Waterfall

**A/N:** Just to inform you, there are _three years_ between Arturo and Aozora's first and second encounter. This story takes place over about thirty years, and important events are rather spread out. But, I must stay within reasonable time limits for Kurosaki Ichigo and everybody to still be alive and have a good amount of time left to live at the end of the story. So… what I'm trying to say is… Expect some more time skips. There actually is one this chapter… along with what I have titled the 'Waterfall Scene.' A toned down version of the Waterfall Scene, that is.

Anyways, we learn Aozora's real name in this chapter. To anyone whose reading this who happens to have the same name, Aozora's opinion is not my own. I rather like the name. It's nice, but when combined with her last name… *shudders*

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Once the fourth division discharged me, I went immediately back to my quarters and did something I hadn't done in decades.

I cleaned. Not kidding. I got a bunch of garbage bags from a supply closet and one of those Swiffer things, I even found a bandana and tied my hair back, looking rather like a housewife with a can of Lysol in my hand. Indeed, the process of cleaning took hours, and I threw out a lot of junk. I ended up having to change the cloth thing on the duster _thrice_. I was pretty surprised I didn't find a dead animal or something. After about five straight hours of cleaning, I could see the floor and I could _breath_.

During my cleaning binge, I'd uncovered an old stereo of mine, along with a Within Temptation album, The Heart of Everything. I set the disk in its spot and clicked it closed, switching the input to CD and pressing play, causing the music to fill the room. When I plopped down onto the freshly washed comforter of my newly made bed, I looked out the window at the setting sun, the bright red orb casting a lovely indigo hue onto the sky. Tomorrow I would be officially promoted to Third-Seat.

The thought made me scowl. Our current Lieutenant was some idiot named Harada Daichi. Kira Izuru was captain, due to fact that the Central Forty-Six, while not executing or incarcerating Ichimaru Gin, had banned him from ever holding a rank above Fifth Seat. Youta had already been Fifth-Seat and he deserved the place, so Izuru reluctantly put Ichimaru as sixth-seat. Of course, now that the ranks were going to get shifted around, Youta'd be fourth-seat and Ichimaru'd get bumped up to fifth.

There was a knock at the door.

"What?" I yelled.

"Ya wanna turn down yer stereo, Yumekanau-chan?" Came the familiar voice.

I grinned. "Only if you come in for tea."

"M'Kay, let me go get my Haz-Mat suit…"

"It's okay. I cleaned," I replied, laughing. I sat up and stepped over to the little kitchenette and turning on my electric tea kettle. Hearing Ichimaru enter, I called, "So, what do you think of the promotion you'll undoubtedly be getting?" Ah, ah, ah. No complaints about the lack of respect in my tone. I technically ranked higher than him.

"Unfortunate." I was a little startled that the voice had come from the table and not the doorway. Two decades of hanging out with this guy and I still wasn't over it. Not only did he move with complete silence, but he also saw through _everything_. There wasn't a thing you could hide from Ichimaru Gin.

My brow furrowed slightly at his reply. I reached into the cupboard for the case of tea bags. "Well, I you look at it my way, then yeah."

"There's no way tha' could've been a jus' a Hollow attack, Cordelia," he said in his usual tone.

"Gin-kun, I've told you to stop calling me that. I almost tripped up earlier today," I retorted without missing a beat. I hated my old name, anyways, I mean, what person in the right mind above the Mason-Dixon line named their kid 'Cordelia?' I poured the hot water from the kettle into two tea cups and set the tea bags in each, Caramel Vanilla for me, Lemon Grass and Ginger for him. I strode over to the table and handed him his cup.

"Whatever ya say, then, _Aozora_." As I said, you can't hide shit from Ichimaru Gin. He'd been observing a class at the academy one day, and the teacher completely butchered the description of Szayel Aporro Granz's ressureccion, hell, she spelled the name 'Syazel Appro Grandz.' I'd corrected her, giving a detailed description of both the Espada and the battle, only leaving out details about the Gabriel ability because I didn't know if we were going manga or anime here, because Kubo had been a bit more… disturbing about it. After that, the creep kept _following_ me, of all things, and after being subjected to a week of observation, I walked up to the guy and said, 'Ichimaru Gin, I know you've been following me, and since you're not a pervert, I want to know why your being more of a creep than the former Quinta Espada,' to which he'd replied with a simply inquiry of my name. I told him, and then he asked for my real name. Apparently, even though there was some mystical power at work making me able to speak and understand Japanese, I had an extremely faint accent. I _apparently_ separated my syllables just a little too much, which was surprising seeing that I had no idea that I was speaking Japanese at the time. I'd just thought that everyone was speaking English, although, it was the voices of the Japanese Seiyu. So I spilled, which had then led to an interesting conversation about my allegiances. Apparently, from the way I spoke about him when I was explaining, Gin had been able to figure out that I was a fan of Aizen. By this time, the ex-captain had been starting to piss me off, so, while I told him the truth, I told him rather eloquently with my Aizen-mimicking glare (I practiced it for hours in front of a mirror when I was human/alive), 'I belong to the side that holds the most amusement, Ichimaru. Currently, the opposing side would only hold discomfort and frustration. Now, had I arrived here in time for Aizen's rebellion, than yes, I've switched my allegiances without a second thought. My knowledge would've benefited him greatly, perhaps even altered the outcome of the Winter War. But because I did not, I have chosen this side, where there is comfort and happiness. I am completely, and totally, without bias.'

He'd taken that well. Nodding. If there was one thing I knew about Ichimaru, it was that he liked to observe different kinds of people. I, the girl from a different universe, was certainly unique.

Ichimaru took a sip of tea. "So, wha' was it?" he asked.

I sat, crossing my arms and leaning back in my chair. "I don't want to tell you."

"Iya…" he was pleasantly surprised by that response, it seemed, "Tha's jus' too bad… I may hav' ta report ya for lying ta Unohana-Taichou…"

Sighing, I relented, "An Arrancar. Arturo Plateado."

"He told ya his name? Or did ya know 'im?"

"Knew him. He wasn't in the actually manga, he was an exclusive character in the video games."

"And ya want 'im all ta yerself, don't ya?" He said. I glared at him, "Ya want revenge for Sachirou."

Scowling, I picked up my finished tea and stood. "Finish up your tea and leave, Ichimaru," I retorted harshly.

"Rrrrowl," he joked, "Tiger's getting feisty."

"Oyasumi, Gin."

"Aww, but Aozora-chaaaaan-"

"_O. YA. SU. MI._"

"There ya go separatin' yer syllables again," he said.

I narrowed my eyes, "Good night, Ichimaru. Please GTFO," I snapped before storming into the kitchen. I heard him chuckle as I washed out my cup, more than a little annoyed. When I went back to check, if he was gone yet, I found he'd completely disappeared, which was normal for him. I sighed and took his empty tea cup and set it in the sink. I'd wash it in the morning.

Tomorrow was so going to suck.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

I trudged into my captain's office. I knew I had severe bed head. I had perpetual bed head. Ungracefully, I plopped down on the couch and put a throw pillow over my head.

Kira sighed. "Ohayo Gozaimasu, Yumekanau."

I replied with a groan. I heard him set down his pen.

"Yumekanau, you have some papers here to sign before you're promoted to third-seat," he said calmly.

"Can't I do it later?" I whinned.

"Now would be convenient."

"Hows about I do it later rather than embarrass you?" I playfully threatened, still sounding sleepy, though.

He scoffed quietly. "Seriously, Yumekanau, I used to be Ichimaru's lieutenant. What could you do that would embarrass me?"

I was silent for a moment. He probably thought I'd take that hypothetically. Then I grinned, I knew the perfect thing. Very loudly (and _very_ sensually, I might add), I moaned, "Oh… Captain… Mm…" I could perfectly picture his blush, "That feels sooo good…" I added a high-pitched noise of pleasure for good measure.

"OKAY! Okay, Yumekanau, you do it later… just… stop that."

I laughed then relaxed into the couch. I'd need my energy for later.

I scheduled myself for Bankai training. Akatora thought we were ready for it, and more people had begun using the training technique that Kurosaki Ichigo had used, due to convenience. I'd chosen to do some more Zanjutsu and Hakuda training, and practice some higher level Kidou before I started the actual Bankai training. Ichimaru would probably offer to help, but I was adamant. I wanted either Captain Soi Fon or Captain Kuchiki to train me. I'd ask Soi Fon later. She actually owed me a few… favors. Let's just say I hadn't actually been able to control my bi-ness perfectly over the years. Anyways, she wouldn't go easy on me. That's Captain Kuchiki was also an option, as he wouldn't hold back, either. I didn't want to earn my Bankai the easy way, but I wanted to earn it soon, because the sooner I achieved Bankai, the sooner I could get better with it, learn the techniques and such.

And the sooner I got stronger, the sooner I could avenge Sachirou.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Three years later…_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

There had been a few reports of strange disturbances around the sixty-fifth district of Rukongai, which happened to not only be surrounded by a dense forest and unexpectedly varied terrain, but also rather close to district fifty-nine, where I had last seen that Arturo bastard. Due to the possibility of stronger hollows in the area, my team had been dispatched to investigate the surrounding forest.

Last month I'd finally been able to beat Harada Daichi in a sparring match, which I quickly followed up with a challenge for rank. It was actually surprisingly easy. I'd taken the rank of Lieutenant. The rank that I'd always hoped would belong to Takaki Sachirou.

Chikafuki and Harada followed close behind me as we Shunpo'd towards the Sixty-fifth district. We stopped in the town center, which was rather deserted. I turned to Harada, "Investigate the town. Ask around and see if you can learn anything we don't already know. I'll take the southern part of the forest and Chikafuki will take the north."

They nodded and Flash-Stepped off.

I relaxed a bit and headed for the south. When I stopped, I was situated on a tree branch. I couldn't see three feet in front of me, not just because there wasn't ample light, but because the foliage was just _so_ thick that I couldn't see a thing. I sighed and pulled out my Zanpakuto. My Shikai would be useful in this situation.

"Samayou, Akatora," I dead-panned, bracing myself. Gradually, my senses expanded. I could hear every little animal's heartbeat within a good mile, I could see clearer, the lack of light no longer deterring me, I could smell the various scents around me, like the musty bark of the trees, wet from a recent rainstorm. And the best part, I could _sense_ any considerable spiritual pressure for miles. The only downsides to this technique was that my sense of touch was also amplified, causing even a little cut to be agonizing, but to avoid little scraps and cuts, my agility and flexibility was increased. I didn't get any special attacks, no 'Getsuga Tenshous' or the like, just hypersensitivity. Don't get me wrong, if I was depraved enough, my Shikai could be used for some pretty perverted purposes. But I wasn't.

No one could ever perfectly hide their spiritual pressure. You always exerted a little, extremely small amount that could be masked only with Reiatsu masking devices. I rather doubted that the Arrancar would have a Reiatsu hiding device.

I stretched my senses as far as I could, scanning the area for any foreign Reiatsu. I felt Harada… Chikafuki… I strengthened the sense, looking harder. I started picking up the Reiatsu of a couple Rukon civilians, but I kept looking until I found a Hollow-like reiatsu to the east. I checked Harada and Chikafuki, who were both moving to the west. Good. I'd better get this over with.

Flash-Stepping, I rushed to the east, the Reiatsu becoming clearer as I neared the source. I ended up following a river, and as the roar of the river got louder, I acted on impulse and stopped, nearly screaming as I teetered on the edge of a cliff. I regained my balance and Shunpo'd to the base of the cliff.

I looked around, the mist from the waterfall limiting my eyesight and the roar of the falls handicapping my hearing. It was overpoweringly loud, and I thought my ears may start _bleeding_ if I didn't deactivate my Shikai. I was about to do so, but then I heard something… phonetically pleasing.

"Foolish Soul Reaper, you're too curious for your own good," came a _very_ good sounding voice. I knew that the phase 'Foolish Soul Reaper' should have reminded me of someone, but when I matched this voice with the phrase, it seem to compute.

Suddenly, a strong force rammed into me and I when flying, slamming up against the side of the cliff, my hyperactive senses revolting. I groaned in pain, sliding downwards, only to be lifted up again by a strong hand clamping around my neck. I gripped at the hand, trying to get in another breath.

After a moment, the voice spoke again, "Ah… I recognize you, the impudent little Shinigami that knew my name," he released me, and I immediately deactivated my Shikai to avoid further unnecessary pain. I felt at a loss when my sensory ability was once more reduced to normal, but I got over it when the voice spoke again, this time at its usual quality without my hypersensitive hearing. "Tell me how you know my name, girl."

I glared. "Impudent?" I asked sharply. "I'll show you impudent!" I extended my hand, and swiftly drew an aerial triangle, yellow energy following my hand, "Bakudō number thirty, Shitotsu Sansen!" The three points of energy shot out, but Arturo easily avoided the Bakudo. I shrieked and ran at him with my Zanpakuto, slashing downward, only to have him block with only his arms.

He scowled. "Don't tell me you actually harbor a grudge against me for some reason? As insignificant as you are, you didn't seem like the type."

You've got to be kidding! He didn't even know why I hated him! "Remember that Shinigami you killed? Takaki Sachirou! He was my best friend, and you killed him!" I screamed at him furiously.

"You _do_ realize, that was completely in self-defense," he replied incredulously, "Not only did he attack me first, but I also believe I accidentally saved your life, girl. That Hollow was rather above your skill level at that time."

I growled, "I don't care! You killed him, you bastard! You shouldn't have spared me, Arturo, because now it's coming back to bite you!" I screamed, "Hado Number thirty-three, SOKATSUI!" A blast of blue flame erupted around us as the Kidou hit the Arrancar point blank.

Apparently, it was too early to celebrate, as a blunt force connected with the back of my head. I fell forward, quickly losing consciousness.

"Don't worry, Soul Reaper, I won't make the same mistake twice."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** The original Waterfall Scene was actually… very… citrus-y. This is the new and improved Waterfall Scene that involves Aozora getting her butt kicked!

And like I said, I rather like Aozora's real name. It's her full name I don't like. Cordelia Tucker. Separately, I like those names just fine, but together… Brrr. Uck.


	4. Annoying

**A/N:** This one is a little short, but it's pretty amusing. :D I like Kidou. Tenteikura is one of my favorites. I'm being very random. XD

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach. But I don't think Kubo owns Arturo. He might. But I think Viz has him. Aozora is mine. ;)

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Chikafuki Youta had long ago learnt that one could never leave someone as reckless as Lieutenant Yumekanau completely alone. Even as he explored the northern forest, he kept tabs on both his higher officers' spiritual pressures.

The moment Yumekanau-fukutaichou's reiatsu disappeared, Youta stopped completely, reaching into his bag and removed a stamp pad of black ink. He hopped up onto a nearby boulder and rolled up his sleeves, setting the ink pad on the ground in front of him. Youta pressed his hands into the ink, continuing to illustrate zig-zagging lines on his arms. He had to hurry, to inform the captain, and the other people he thought would be interested in the new development. "Black and white net. Twenty-two bridges, sixty-six crowns and belts," he stretched his arm out in front of him, a rectangular blue shape appearing in from of him, " Footprints, distant thunder, sharp peak, engulfing land, hidden in the night, sea of clouds, blue line," Root-like energy beams flowed out from his outstretched palms, "Form a circle and fly though the heavens! Bakudo number seventy-seven, Tenteikūra!"

He settled, holding his hands out to his sides as he established the Kidou, "Addressing Captain Kira Izuru, Third-Seat Harada Daichi, Fifth-Seat Ichimaru Gin, Captain Soi Fon, and Head-Captain Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni. This is fourth-seat Chikafuki Youta of the Third Division. Merely moments ago, Lieutenant Yumekanau Aozora's spiritual pressure abruptly disappeared in the approximant vicinity of Rukon District Sixty-Five. I am about to go en-route to the assumed site of the disappearance. And…" he paused, unsure if his next comment would be appropriate for the situation, "I… I know Yumekanau. This is either something very serious or very stupid. I am assuming it is the former. If anyone wishes to provide some back-up, it would be much appreciated. End transmission."

Youta took a moment to wash his pale arms off in a nearby river, and a moment was all it took for back-up to arrive. He was rather shocked when to turned to see that not only had Harada quickly Flash-Stepped over here, but Ichimaru Gin and, the most surprising, Captain Soi Fon, had used their superior Flash-Step skills to arrive within moments. He was about to ask, but they beat him to the punch.

"Hey, yer not 'Zora's only friend, ya know?" Ichimaru said.

Soi Fon merely glared at him, "I'm not losing my first and only Bankai student, Chikafuki," she answered harshly.

Youta nodded, and the four of them Shunpo'd off.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I opened my eyes slowly, wondering what the heck was going on. As lucidity returned to me, I was startled to realize that my feet, wrists, and mouth were bound.

Frantically, I examined my surroundings. I was in a cave, and I could hear the roar of water, so I assumed that this was a cave behind the waterfall. As _cool_ as I would normally think that was, the situation was a bit too serious for that. There were odd white bricks surrounding the little corner of the cave I was in, and in front of me, closer to the entrance of the cavern (which was blocked by a large boulder), there was a futon and what seemed like the remains of a campfire.

Suddenly, the boulder shifted to the side, letting in light and mist from the waterfall. A familiar tall, slim figure entered, cautiously replacing the boulder and stepping over to the area I was in, he stayed silent, and simply kneeled beside me and lifted a finger to his lips.

Like hell I'll be quiet! I squirmed, trying to undo my bindings, and yelled through the cloth. He sighed exasperatedly, clamping a hand over my mouth, locking my arms in his other hand, and holding my legs down with one knee. "Be silent, Soul Reaper," he whispered harshly.

I tried expanding my Reiatsu, a signal to my comrades, but I discovered that I could not. I took a closer look at the white brick around me, realizing that it was Seki-Seki stone. Reiatsu eating stone. As long as I was in this cave, I was powerless. That meant so was Arturo, but like I said, Kidou is my strong suit. Not Hakuda. Oh, definitely not Hakuda.

Deciding I'd be a good little captive (ugh), I stopped struggling. A few minutes passed like that before the Arrancar released me and removed the cloth from my mouth. I coughed to clear my throat, "What the hell was that about?" I snapped.

"We had company," he said simply, "But I planted a few false trails to throw them off," he sat down, cross-legged, on his futon. "So, girl, how do you know my name?" he interrogated, "Do the Shinigami know I'm still alive?"

"No, of course not," I sneered, "Why would I tell them? I want to kill you myself and if I told everybody that it was an Arrancar that killed Sachirou then they'd send hunting parties consisting of Captains, not Lieutenants."

He narrowed his eyes. "Then how do _you_ know, if they do not?"

I blinked, then gave my Epic (practiced) Aizen-like Glare of Doom (the brother of my Epic WTF Face of Doom), "I don't have to tell you," I asserted, my teeth clenched.

"Oh, indeed, I am rather certain you do."

I tilted my chin upwards. "And why is that?"

He exhaled sharply, a sort of half-chuckle, "Because you won't be leaving this cave until you do, Soul Reaper."

Scowling, I scoffed, "Well, then, Arturo Plateado, since we're going to be cave-mates for a while," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm, "I'm Yumekanau Aozora, Lieutenant of the Third Division. Though, I doubt you'll call me anything except 'Soul Reaper' and 'girl,' because then you'd be out of character."

Arturo gave me an odd look, "You are a strange little Soul Reaper, aren't you?"

"See, how right am I?"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

At first, I tried being just absolutely silent. Silent-treatments always work, I thought, but no. No, the silent-treatment doesn't work on people with the Rational Mastermind personality type. So that meant, Aizen Sousuke and Plateado.

Oh, how did I know his personality type? It's actually really easy… if you knew the types real well. I was the same type as Inoue Orihime, an Artisan Performer, so as you can imagine, it didn't take long for me to switch from extreme silence to…

"Artuuuuuuuuuroooooo…"

"What, girl?"

"I'm BOOOOORED! This cave is really _messy_. You need an interior decorator. Really, this place just needs a woman's touch, and believe it or not, I'm pretty good at decorating when I want to be!"

… annoying the shit out of him. HA! My new master plan! I'd just sit here and bug him for eternity! That would be sufficient revenge!

He gave me an incredulous look. "I suppose I will have to untie you…" he said off-handedly, "But if you try to escape, then there will be consequences, Soul Reaper."

"My name is Aozora," I said slowly, "Here… A-OH-Zo-RAH. Don't be an Ulquiorra. If you're going to be an Ulquiorra, at least call me 'woman.'"

He scowled at me. "Are you sure you're not some escaped experiment of that Kurotsuchi?"

I lifted my eyebrow. "Are you sure you aren't, mister self-made Arrancar?"

"You just contradicted yourself. You seem too unintelligent… perhaps I could just kill you," he said as he untied my bindings.

As soon as I was free, I jumped up. "I am so intelligent! I KNOW FOIL! CONSTRUCTIONS! DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS! Can _you_ recite pi to the five-hundred-thousandths place? I thought not!"

He looked at me like I was insane. Which I was sort of going for right now. "That's simple mathematics."

I plopped down and crossed my arms. "Iya… yep… it's eighth grade math…" I sweat-dropped, "I've forgotten everything after that. Calculus and crap." I looked around the barren cave. "So…" I yawned, "Where will I sleep?"

Arturo's posture suddenly went pin straight, his eyes narrowing.

"… aw, shit, you didn't think of that, did you?"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

As one can imagine, I ended up just sleeping on the cave floor. I may have decided that was going to pretend to be all chummy with Arturo to annoy him to death (Exactly how I was going to kill him, because I certainly wasn't strong enough yet to defeat him in a battle of physical strength… but a battle of wits, on the other hand…

Oh. Wait. Rational Mastermind. Forgot about that. Damn.

I was an unusually light sleeper, but with the sound of the waterfall filling the cave, I was swiftly lulled to sleep.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When I awoke, I found that the floor was above me. I was known for my odd sleeping habits, and they changed sometimes. Sometimes I talked, sometimes I cuddled up to things (hopefully that one would stay dormant for the duration of my stay), but currently I was going through a phase where I shifted into the oddest positions. Like putting my feet and back up against the wall.

I dislodged myself from my awkward position, my neck protesting from the weird position.

Looking to the other person in the room, I saw that the Arrancar was staring at me, eyes narrowed. "What?" I asked dumbly. Then realized. My shirt hangs loosely, with nothing holding it down, so, like a skirt, it had lifted reveal more than decent. Way more than decent. At least the tighter black spandex I wore beneath kept me from embarrassing myself. I scowled at him. "Pervert."

The Arrancar scoffed. "I don't do Soul Reapers, girl."

For some reason, I couldn't come up with a comeback. So I just sat there. Glaring at him.

Maybe I was wrong.

This wasn't going to be fun at all.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Youta and Daichi stepped into their captain's office.

Kira-taichou didn't look up from his paperwork. "Well, Yumekanau, you gave us a scare, there," he started.

The third seat cleared his throat. "Sir," he began shakily.

Izuru's eyes suddenly widened as he looked up. He stuttered for a moment. "Y – you lost her?" he finally was able to get out, "But… didn't Soi Fon and Ichimaru go to help you search?"

The pair of Shinigami bowed their head in shame. "We think there must have been a Hollow," Harada said, "One that could hide it's Spiritual Pressure. I – It must have caught her by surprise."

Chikafuki shook his head. "No." The others looked at him. "I remember, back when Sachirou was killed, just as I arrived I thought I saw someone, but he was gone before I got a good look," Youta took a deep breath, "I think we may have an Arrancar on our hands."


	5. Questions and More Than Answers

**A/N:** This chapter is making my own screwy digestive system act up because I'm basically writing about it… so if this chapter makes me ill because of the power of suggestion… ugh.

Well, Aozora's real name was originally going to be Cori. Then I thought to myself, "Nah, it has to be a name that sounds good when said with a Spanish accent." Which is what made me go to baby name web site where I kept getting pop-up adds for pregnancy crap. I ended up face-desking several times before I finally found a good name.

Arturo is actually rather OOC in this chapter. I'll try my best to keep that from becoming a habit.

**Disclaimer:** SuperYuuki does not own Bleach. Kubo owns Bleach. But Sega owns Arturo Plateado (See, I thought about it for a moment). I own Yumekanau Aozora and her family name.

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_It was warm here. Comfortably warm. It almost always was. It was only otherwise when I was sad. Sadness made it uncomfortably warm. I lay on my back on the hard ground, the tall stalks of golden grass swaying in the light breeze._

_I was home._

_A soft rustling of the grass beside me didn't raise any alarms. I knew who it was. It was a welcome presence. The large, furry mass curled up beside me, a slight purr-like sound escaping. I cuddled into the warm fur. "Hello, Akatora," I said contentedly._

"_Hello, sweetie," she replied, "It seems like we're in a bit of a predicament, huh?" Her talking sent vibrations through the tiger's stomach, which was in turn rather comforting for me. I liked my Zanpakuto, I respected my Zanpakuto, I thought of my Zanpakuto as a friend, as a partner. And she was. She was my friend, my partner, my mentor, at times._

"_Hm? Predicament?" I muttered, "I'm stuck in a cave with an Arrancar and I doubt anyone will ever find me."_

"_Perhaps something good might come of this," Akatora said thoughtfully._

_My brow furrowed. "Good? What good could possibly come of this?"_

_There was a pause as the tiger thought. After a moment, she said, "Do still remember the name of Arturo's Zanpakuto?"_

"_Yeah… I think it was Fenix. Like, the bird," I said lamely. Where could she possibly be going with this?_

"_Fenix? Mmm. A fire elemental?"_

"_No. It's more Kido based, I suppose. He can absorb the spiritual energy of those he kills."_

"_I wonder what a Zanpakuto like that would look like…"_

"_It wouldn't, Aka. He's an Arrancar. His Zanpakuto doesn't work like you do," I corrected tiredly._

_I could almost feel the Zanpakuto frown. "Oh well. I suppose you should be waking up now, anyway." I was about to protest, but reality began to warp, dissolve until I could no long see the golden plains of my inner world, met now by the warm darkness of the insides of my eyelids._

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I opened my eyes, momentarily disoriented by my surroundings. I was on my stomach, with my head to the side and my limbs splayed out in various directions. I sighed, placing my hands to either side, pushing myself up to my knees. Miffed, I looked around the cave. Shoot… I was sure I'd fallen asleep on the other side… farther from the entrance… and on my back. I rubbed my temples in exasperation. My neck hurt. My back hurt. I _hurt_. I had never done good sleeping on the floor, and even with a futon it put a memory-foam cushion on it first. I at least needed my memory-foam pillow.

But now I had a new dilemma. My stomach was aching. Bad. And it wasn't hunger, no, it definitely wasn't hunger. I burped a little, and shivered in repulsion at the disgusting taste it brought. Automatically, my eyes scanned the cave for something of a trash-can nature. Obviously, I found nothing of the sort. My stomach lurched painfully. I gasped, and clutched at my belly. Carefully, I laid back down on my side, pulling my knees towards my chest in a loose fetal position to relax my abdomen and take stress off my stomach. As long as I didn't start salivating too much, I was fine.

I rubbed my forehead. "Arturo…" I called tentatively. The Arrancar was still asleep on the only futon. He stirred slightly. "Hey, Plateado!" I shouted with as much force as I could muster. Which wasn't much, seeing as that if I yelled too loud it'd upset my digestive system further.

He nearly jumped to his feet at my voice. He sent me a glare. Heh, bitch was annoyed at me. "It would be in your best interest to refrain from waking me, girl. Go back to sleep before I decide that you're more trouble than you're worth."

Arturo was about to plop back down onto his pillow, but I cut in with a very, very believable, "I'm gonna throw up…" I cupped the hand that wasn't grasping my belly over my mouth.

He stopped mid fall, turning to regard me with a wary gaze. "What?"

"I have a weak digestive system… it responds negatively to changes in routine and to bad diets," I curled in on myself tighter, "It hurts like a bitch… an evil, evil bitch that even Jesus would slap," I paused, wincing at the sudden lance of pain driven through my gut. "I – I think it would be good for both of our sakes if I were outside when I…" I really didn't want to stay in cave that smelled like barf. That would be more than unpleasant, and I doubt he would like that either.

I heard a sigh. "Fine."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Arturo Plateado_

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

"Arturo…"

A voice? It was a familiar voice. Associated with annoying. I turned away from it, as it hopefully would simply go away if ignored.

"Hey, Plateado!"

I jumped, uncharacteristically. A moment passed before I reoriented myself, but once I did, I sent the Soul Reaper a glare. She smirked a little beneath her grimace. "It would be in your best interest to refrain from waking me, girl. Go back to sleep before I decide that you're more trouble than you're worth." It was an empty threat. She wasn't leaving and I wouldn't kill her until she gave me the information I asked for.

I was about to lay back down and resume sleeping, but I paused when the Soul Reaper's voice rang out, strained and tense, "I'm gonna throw up…"

Turning back to look at her, I noticed how she was holding herself. She was curled up in a little ball, squeezing her stomach like she thought it was going to explode from her body. "What?" She had been fine yesterday. More than fine.

When she answered, she spoke slowly and deliberately, as if it was hurting her to speak. "I have a weak digestive system… it responds negatively to changes in routine and to bad diets." Shit. She curled up tighter, "It hurts like a bitch… an evil, evil bitch that even Jesus would slap," she tensed, inhaling sharply and twisting in on herself. "I – I think it would be good for both our sakes if I were outside when I…"

I sighed. She was correct. "Fine." She looked up at me, shocked. I stood and continued over to the exit, pushing the boulder to the side just enough so we could slip through. She stood and hobbled towards the cave exit. She was irritatingly slow about it, too. When she reached the exit, she looked up, down, and sideways. There was a short step down to the ledge of stone that I used as a pathway, and it was rather precarious. She placed a foot tenderly on a rock, and I immediately realized her mistake. Her foot slipped right off the moment she attempted to put any of her weight on it. She yelped, her arms flailing outwards in an attempt to right herself.

The girl really was hopelessly clumsy. With yet another sigh, I placed my hand between her shoulder blades to steady her. The girl did not need to add a concussion to her list of problems, and along with that, I couldn't have her developing amnesia in the process.

Anyone who knew my secrets these days, so many years since I last tried to assault Soul Society, had to have utterly amazing sources, especially to the extent she knew. Such sources would be indispensible, and could easily give me an edge during my upcoming assault. In the past years, I had begun to realize that my confidence had been my downfall. I was strong – overwhelmingly so – but even the strongest warriors could not fight an army alone.

The Soul Reaper gave me a flat look before ungracefully ambling towards the bushes.

I turned around, harboring no desire to observe a Soul Reaper vomiting. It took a few minutes, but once the retching stopped, I called out, "Are you finished yet?"

Her somewhat joyful reply of "Yep!" threw me off. She hopped back towards the waterfall, her energy mysteriously returned, pausing momentarily to drink, cupping her hands beneath the flowing water and slurping up the water before gurgling it like mouthwash and spitting it out. She repeated the somewhat repulsing process several times before she actually began to swallow the liquid.

"For someone who was just ill, you're seem rather well," I stated.

She shrugged. "I'm fine now…"

I caught the hesitation in her voice. "But…?" I prompted.

The Soul Reaper looked me in the eye, a pleading expression on her face. "Now I'm hungry."

I almost laughed. The girl didn't realize what situation she was in. "Get back in the cave," I told her.

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_Yumekanau Aozora_

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Sitting cross-legged on the cave floor, I looked between Arturo and the bag. Arturo. Bag. Arturo. Bag.

Eventually, my brain caught up with me. "Is there food in that bag?" I asked skeptically.

His expression didn't change. "As you are such a stubborn Soul Reaper, I've decided on a compromise. Since you need food, and I want answers, you will receive a food item for each question you answer. The quality of the item with depend on the quality of your answers," he said with an oddly bored tone.

I narrowed my eyes, ready to refuse, but my stomach let out a rumbling protest. I sighed. "Fine. What do you want to know?"

"How do you know my name?" he asked.

"Hm. Getting right to the point, aren't we?" I tilted my head, and answered, "Video games. Specifically, Bleach: Shattered Blade, and Bleach: The Third Phantom." It was an answer. Even if it was likely gibberish to him.

"Some elaboration is required, girl," he sneered.

I threw him a glare, "That's another question. I answered the first one, so give it here!"

The Arrancar rolled his eyes and threw me a rice ball, which I immediately began devouring. I ignored his glare of repulsion. "Now elaborate."

I swallowed the last bite of the rice ball. The guy probably wouldn't believe anyways, so telling the truth wouldn't hurt. "You see," I started, "Where I come from, this entire world is an Anime. You're a video game antagonist."

He sent me the strangest look, and immediately I began to worry. For a moment, it seemed that he actually believed me. I hoped that I was mistaken, but his next question confirmed my fear. "Were you particularly interested in this… 'Anime?'"

I turned away from him, swiveling my torso and crossing my arms defensively. I was hesitant to answer, unsure if I should lie or not. It was rather likely he'd see right through my deception and act accordingly, whatever it was he would do. After a moment, I decided on the truth. "… It was one of my biggest obsessions."

He nodded thoughtfully before reaching into the bag and handing me a chocolate bar. I eagerly snatched it and pulled away the wrapper, taking a bite from the heavenly sweet. Actually, my hunger was rather sated for now, but I found myself wanting to tell _someone_ all about what I knew.

I remembered what I'd told Gin. Unbiased. Arturo was right. He hadn't shown any signs of aggression towards me or Sachirou. It had been Sachirou that had attacked him. Unbiased. Yeah. Perhaps… "Quick question, Arturo," I said.

"You are not the one asking the questions here, girl," he replied instantly.

"This question will affect my future answers," I said surely.

He hesitated, before nodding.

Clearing my throat, I asked, "Are there any Espada still alive?"

I immediately regretted my inquiry, as the question brought a scowl to his face, disgust painting his features. "Why would you want to know about those servile scum?"

Narrowing my eyes, I looked him right in the eyes, and said, "Because my knowledge could help you recruit them as help."

He laughed, a quick, somewhat sinister sound. "You would betray Soul Society? Don't you know what they did to the last traitor?"

"I didn't agree with that. One-thousand souls isn't really all that much. I haven't really thought on this for a long time. But, really, this is all a game to me. Being on the evil side always held an odd appeal for me," I answered non-nonchalantly.

Arturo stared at me, before smiling. "The last I heard, a great many of them made it. Halibel Tia, Szayel Aporro Granz, Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, and Ulquiorra Schiffer survived the battle."

I nodded, and then looked to the extra sword around his waist. "Give me back Akatora. Then open up a Garganta and prepare to defend yourself from incoming enemies. Including, but not limited to, mindless Hollows, rogue Arrancar, and that one Shinigami that I'm sure if he's dead or not."

The Arrancar regarded me warily before sliding the Zanpakuto from his belt and tossing it to me. I caught it deftly and immediately slipped the sword back in its rightful place. I steeled myself mentally. I'd known this day would come eventually. I always hated how Soul Society was governed. Even when I was human/alive. Now, it was time to fix it, and in order to do so, I would have to team up with Arrancar (a very appealing thought) and kill my comrades. Not too difficult. Aizen had done it. So could I. But I wasn't Aizen. Maybe… if Aizen were free…

I grinned. Yes… that would work perfectly.

Arturo opened a Garganta, and I stepped to the entrance, looking inside. I'd never seen a Garganta before, and it was rather cool in person. "Wow…"

"… You are a strange Soul Reaper, Yumekanau Aozora," Arturo said with a certain amount of bewilderment.

"Thank you," I answered, "But that's not my real name. I like all and well, but I feel a change is in order."

There was a pause. "Then what is your name?"

I stepped into the Garganta, turning back to smile at him. "Cordelia."

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**A/N:** Okay… Aozora just took on a mind of her own. I am no longer in control of my own characters. That so was not supposed to happen that way. I gotta retake that personality test… I think her personality just changed. The plot has changed a bit as well, but I think I pull it off ending the same way I plan it to. Yes, I have everything planned. This will be a relatively short work. At most, 15 chapters. At least, 11. It depends on how I want to separate events.

Don't worry. Cordelia/Aozora won't stay completely evil. Don't worry. She'll be getting a good reality check/slap in the face. Eventually.


	6. Making Friends PART ONE

**A/N:** So. I'm not going into too much detail on how she makes 'friends' with the Espada. Just snippets and the important parts.

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PreludeToSadness: Aozora's Story

Chapter Six: Paying a Visit

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I stepped from the Garganta, somewhat startled by the shifting feeling of the bone-white sand beneath my feet. Arturo must've been somewhat off with his calculations. We were miles away of Las Noches. I could see it on the horizon, but even from here I could see the state of decay it was in. Quite a bit had been destroyed during Orihime's rescue, and Yammy had nearly taken down the whole building when he went ressureccion. Although, from my layman's perspective, it was still inhabitable, if barely.

I heard Arturo step out from the Garganta and close it behind him. He scoffed. "You're fast," he said bitterly.

"Only with short-distance Shunpo," I gestured toward the probably-not-abandoned castle, "There's no way I can make it there without depleting my spiritual energy."

He examined the distance with a critical gaze. After a moment he stated, "My Sonido could get us there in less than an hour."

I frowned. "Oh, yes, and I'm just magically going to learn Sonido, genius."

Suddenly, I was scooped up by a pair of strong arms. Stunned, I looked Arturo in the eye and scowled. "What the-?"

He cut me off. "Quiet, Soul Reaper, this is the quickest way."

I rolled my eyes and got a good grip on my hat. "Whatever. Just go."

. . . . . . . . . . .

It took approximately twenty minutes to reach Las Noches.

Arturo set me down beside him, my feet plopping on the sand and grains getting into my sandals. I pursed my lips and removed a shoe, shaking the sand out.

"Cordelia."

"What?" I slipped on my sandal and pulled off the other one.

There was a pause. "Where is the entrance?"

I stopped. He was right. I had no idea. In front of us was a big white wall and all to be seen in any direction was more big white wall.

Shit.

I groaned, when suddenly, with a near silent sound of steel on steel, there was a blade at my throat. In less than a second, Arturo had Fenix in hand, but I motioned for him to stay back.

"Who are you and what is your business here?" came a monotonous voice.

I looked to Arturo, who seemed ready to let me do the talking. I did a quick examination of the sword and the hand holding it, and identified the owner as Ulquiorra. I would respond accordingly. "My name is Yumekanau Aozora, and that is Arturo Plateado. We're here to… offer our assistance."

"Some elaboration is required, woman."

I steeled myself. "I'm betraying Soul Society. For now." It was ironic. I was still wearing my lieutenant's armband. I probably should take that off sometime in the near future. Or not.

The Espada released me. I immediately moved to stand by Arturo. Ulquiorra sheathed Mercilago. "You will have to speak to the Primera. Follow me."

I exhaled in relief.

. . . . . . . . .

"Are you sure about this, Yumekanau-san?" Starrk Coyote asked sleepily.

I wasn't. I was far from sure about this. An uneasiness in the pit of my stomach told me I was making a mistake. I had friends in Soul Society. And yet, I felt old. I never died. I never forgot. I still was a human soul, not just a soul.

Wreaking havoc was always something I'd wanted to try. I knew that we'd probably lose if we went up against Seireitei, but hey, if I was going to go out, at least it'd be with a bang. Akatora could advise me against this all she wanted. I was doing this. "Yes. One-hundred percent," I lied, "We're doing this, man!" I laughed, "We're making this happen!" I couldn't remember the name of the web comic which I'd heard that from. I remembered it was pretty damn awesome, though.

The Primera sighed. "As you say."

. . . . . . . .

Monotony. I never had a problem with it. In fact, I enjoyed a monotonous feeling in life. Consistency. Order. Routine. I needed it, for upsetting routine always upset my stomach. And since routine had changed once more, once more, my stomach was upset. It hadn't started to get that bad yet, just an annoyance right now, but if left unattended it would get bad like before.

Arturo and I had arrived at Las Noches yesterday. By now I had changed into a uniform. It was similar to my old outfit, except white. I kept my under-armor on, and I attached my lieutenant's badge to my sash, merely for sentiment's sake.

I walked down the hallway. Despite the state of disrepair Las Noches was in, the inhabitable areas were still huge and easy to get lost in. Speaking of being lost… er… yeah. I was lost. Just a little. Everything looked so ridiculously the same here. It was actually sort of sad. If I was lucky I'd run into someone who recognized me. I was still sort of new here. A good percentage of unranked Arrancar just looked at me and saw a Shinigami. In other words, an enemy. It got annoying after a while. People kept attacking me and I was too shy to ask Starrk to do a formal introduction. I supposed it was okay, those. Kept me on my toes.

After a moment, I began to hear footsteps. I hid in a niche just in case it was a numero, but when I checked, I recognized the pallid form of Ulquiorra Schiffer. I hopped from my mini hiding spot and waved. "Hey, Ulquiorra-san! I'm lost; can you help a girl out?"

He stopped in his tracks and just stared at me.

"So…?" I prompted expectantly.

"… I suppose. Where do you need to go?" he inquired flatly.

"I'm looking for Szayel," I explained, " I need something for my stomach."

Ulquiorra turned. "Follow me."

"Thank you!"

. . . . . . . .

I approached Szayel carefully after Ulquiorra had decided to just _leave me_. It seemed he had reconstructed his laboratory. I really hadn't expected for it to be intact after the whole bankai thing with Renji. That had been fairly destructive.

The pink-haired Espada was hunched over a lab table, occasionally letting out a sound of frustration and tugging at his hair. "Why. Won't. It. WORK?" he shrieked.

Taking another cautious step towards him, I said carefully, "Szayel Aporro Granz?"

He slammed something down on the table and whirled. "WHAT?" I flinched back a little. He exhaled and calmed a bit. "Oh. It's the traitor-lieutenant, Cordelia Tucker, I believe it was. What do you want?"

"I'm having stomach issues. Do you have anything that possibly fix it?" I asked.

"Depends on the cause. If it's caused by anxiety, an ulcer, or any form of stomach related condition, I can eliminate the problem forever," he boasted, "But some things I cannot cure. Any possibility of pregnancy?"

I shook my head. "No. Not possible. Absolutely no possibly as I have never… you know."

He quirked an eyebrow, "You're a-"

I cut him off, "NO! I just don't usually… swing that way."

His eyes widened a bit. "Oh." Well. This became awkward fast. "I do have something that will help your stomach, but first I need to determine the cause." He walked over to a medical table and patted the metal surface. "Sit."

I complied. This likely wasn't going to end well for me, but who cares at this point, you know?

Szayel pushed up the under-armor part of my outfit and began feeling around my stomach. "Hm. I going to make a guess and say it hurts when I do… this." He pressed down right beneath my ribcage, sending a shot of pain through my abdomen.

"Yes. Yes it does," I said with a slight wince.

The Espada stepped away and walked over to a nearby shelf that was filled with various vials and such. He removed one and set it down on the counter, then turned back towards me. "I realize this is a bit underhanded of me," he adjusted his glasses. "But I am in need of a test subject, and I don't plan on treating you without an incentive."

Ah, screw it. "Go on," I prompted.

His eyes widened at my unexpected openness on the topic. "Well, I have developed a substance that will increase spiritual pressure, along with some basic things such as one's reflexes and eyesight. It's a much more toned down version of Kurotsuchi's superhuman drug, with some added effects. Hopefully, I've eliminated all risk of overdose. Instead of increasing the effect, it should just last longer the more one takes."

"And you want to test this on me?"

"I have attempted to test it on normal Hollows, but because it isn't really made for such imperfect creatures, they… erm… explode."

"How pleasant. And you think it will be different for me?"

He nodded in assurance. "Of course. A powerful Shinigami as yourself is preferable to weak Hollow, always."

"The flattery is unnecessary."

He scoffed. "It's not flattery. I am speaking in context of science, Miss Tucker. A humanoid test subject would be more efficient for a substance to be used on humanoids."

"Oh."

"Indeed."

I clapped my hands together. "Well, I wouldn't want deter science! I love science!" Oh, I was suddenly reminded of Portal, and wondered what would happen if Szayel met GLaDOS. "Test away, Szayel-san."

He removed another bottle from the shelf and set it on the counter. He reached for the original bottle and inserted a syringe into the cap. "I will say, Miss Tucker, you are the most willing test subject I've had in a while."

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm just a little insane," I retorted plainly.

"Of course, well. Aren't we all?"

"Oh, very much so."

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**A/N:** This made me happy. I'm so good at writing Szayel. I'm also pretty good at Ichimaru and Aizen. ;)

Oh, and anonymous reviewer "Akuma", I appreciate your enthusiasm, and apologize that I couldn't get this chapter posted sooner. ^.^


	7. Making Friends PART TWO

**A/N:** A point where some of you may begin getting confused. Some people will call Aozora "Cordelia" or "Miss Tucker," while other will refer to her as "Yumekanau," this is based merely on who knows what. Arrancar will call her Miss Tucker (Arturo will call her Cordelia), while Shinigami (sometimes with the exception of Ichimaru Gin) will call her Yumekanau-fukutaichou (or Yumekanau-san).

Did I ever mention that I hate first-person POV? Even writing second-person Homestuck-style is easier than this. OnO

Interactions between Arturo and Cordelia are written while listening to Regina Spektor. :3

Oh, and please, I've dropped enough hints as to where this story will be going. If you have any predictions, tell me.

Another thing, I was writing the second half of this chapter while watching The Silence of the Lambs, and I ended up typing this: "It was beautiful, with nice, beautiful skins" … I don't remember typing 'beautiful skins' I have absolutely no recollection. Ooo, and I can see why Anthony Hopkins won an Oscar. I cannot focus on writing while watching this beautiful movie… oooh… (SuperYuuki is a lecterphile, FINALLY seeing this movie is causing her to fangasm every few secon- OH MY GOD HE SAID IT. "A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti." -HNGGGG…)

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PreludeToSadness: Aozora's Story

Chapter Seven: Making Friends Part II

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In truth, Szayel was rather reliable. I discovered this to be true as the serum – well, both of them – began to work. My stomach pain vanished, and things gradually became clearer. The only downside was that my hands were having slight spasms and I couldn't stop blinking.

Szayel sat beside the table with a clipboard. "Well, let's establish the basics. How are you feeling?"

"A little twitchy, actually," I replied.

"That will go away in three to four hours," he dismissed. "Is it working, though?"

"Well, I don't know, is my spiritual pressure increasing?"

"Yes, of course. I'm referring to your reflexes and eyesight, Miss Tucker, please focus," he said off-handedly.

"Fine, fine." I focused in on the shelves of bottles across the room. "Um… I can read the tiny print on those bottles, _way_ over there," I indicated, pointing.

He looked where I was pointing and scribbled something down on the clipboard. He stood and began to put things away. "That's all for now, Miss Tucker. You may leave. Please come see me if you began experiencing any unexpected or unpleasant side-effects."

I slipped from the table and began towards the door. "Thank you for your time, Szayel-san," I called just as I was exiting.

"Anytime, Miss Tucker."

. . . . . . . . . . .

_Third Person_

. . . . . . . . . .

After his guest had left, Szayel decided to check his notes once more. He flipped through the sheets of paper, stopping when he noticed a single sentence.

"Oh my… It seems I forgot about…" he paused and thought, "But that compound can cause… oh my."

He thought it over for a second before chuckling. "This should be amusing," he said to himself as he turned to leave.

. . . . . . . . . . .

_Arturo Plateado_

. . . . . . . . . . .

As three more days passed since Cordelia and I had arrived to Las Noches, I grew persistently restless. I didn't run into her much, as I mostly spent my time in one of the training rooms, and she wasn't really the type to fight. I had left the diplomatic bullshit to her, while I observed our new allies' fighting styles.

I mostly paid attention to the way the stronger Arrancar fought, so the current fight did not interest me, as it was two weakling fracciones who were occupying the sparring room. Their undeveloped fighting styles did not interest me a bit.

Soundlessly, I rose from my seat and vacated the training room. I had yet to thoroughly explore the citadel. I never truly planned to, but walk was in order.

Not three feet from the door did I hear it. "Arturo!"

I stopped immediately and faced her. "Yes?"

She ran up to me. "I went to Szayel," I already didn't like this, "to get something for my stomach and I let him try out this experimental serum on me," I always knew she was stupid, "And now I can see EVERYTHING IN MEGA DETAIL!" She squealed, her bright eyes widening in excitement as threw her arms out to the side.

I sighed, my shoulders slumping slightly. "And what makes you think I care, Soul Reaper?"

She pouted. "Because my spiritual pressure is through the roof, as well. In case you didn't notice."

Hm. I hadn't noticed. It seemed she was right. Her reiatsu was much stronger than I usually felt from her.

"But Szayel did say there would be side-effects. Well, probably."

"Such as hyper-activity?"

She blinked, her eyebrows shooting up. "… Yes. Maybe. Am I acting hyper?"

"Yes. You are," I stated bluntly.

She shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest. Her eyebrows lowered somewhat, "I just thought you'd want to know. We're friends… or allies. Whatever." She shifted her weight to one foot, pouting slightly. I eyed her carefully. The girl was under the illusion that we were… 'friends'? I exhaled sharply. Well, perhaps the term was at least somewhat apt.

Cordelia continued on. "Well, I think I should…" Her eyelids began to droop, "I… I should…" Her body relaxed and her eyes shut, "Pickles and… kittens…" She fell to the side, curling up on the floor.

I stared at the absurd sight. Whatever could have caused this, I wondered. She definitely wasn't dead. The dead didn't snore. Her snore wasn't loud, it was soft and quiet.

"Ah, just as I expected."

I turned towards the voice. Szayel Aporro Granz approached the sleeping Soul Reaper and kneeled. "It seems the serum had some hidden side-effects."

What. "Are you saying that the experimental thing did things that you didn't tell her about?" I growled. For whatever reason, his treachery did more than irritate me. It enraged me.

"Oh, quite the contrary, Plateado. This is a side-effect from the _medicine_ I gave her. It wasn't experimental at all," he adjusted his glasses. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think Miss Tucker would appreciate if she were moved to her bedroom rather than left on the floor."

"No."

He seemed surprised. "Excuse me?

"I'll do it," I said, lifting Cordelia's unconscious body before he got the chance to.

She stirred a bit. "That's… some nice… potatoes," she sleep-talked, before cuddling into my arms.

The scientist was taken aback. He stood and smoothed out his shirt. "Well then," he seemed miffed, "I will leave her in your care. If she starts seizing, that's the experimental serum, and it would be prudent to fetch me if such an event occurs." He turned briskly on one foot. "I will stop by later to check on her condition." With that, he departed. Good riddance.

I huffed and returned my attentions to Cordelia. My gaze lingered on her face a moment, the sleepy grin looking as if it was the natural expression that the gods created for her. I blinked, then turned, heading towards the chamber I knew to be her room.

. . . . . . . . . . .

_Cordelia Tucker_

. . . . . . . . . . .

_I sat amongst the tall swaying grass, the golden savannah a comforting sight after days of white sand. Lazily, I looked around. The skies were overcast with dark clouds, a good sign, I believed. "Akatora?" I called out tentatively. "Aka? You here?"_

_The grass parted to make way for the great tiger, and she sat down contentedly beside me. She hummed. "Hello, my dear." She stretched out, her claws extending and her mouth opening wide as she yawned. She settled down on her paws, as if about to take a nap._

_I looked up at the sky. "Looks like a rain is coming, doesn't it?"_

_The tiger perked up. "Yes, dear, first rain in years."_

_My eyebrow scrunched together. "Really?"_

_She made an affirmative sound. "You better not mess this one up, Cordelia. This rain will be a downpour that will refill the dried watering hole and give the trees back their leaves."_

_I snorted. "What's its cause? Love?"_

"_The truest," she said plainly._

_I gave her the most incredulous look. "With who?" I exclaimed. "How long has it been like this? It wasn't like this the night after I was captured!"_

_She shook her head. "No, the clouds began to rumble in when you arrived in Hueco Mundo." She paused. "Although, a downpour such as this could also signify true happiness, it's just that love and happiness have always seemed to be linked, I think."_

_Leaning back in the grass, I thought about what she said. "Szayel?" I entertained the thought for a second before tossing it aside. "No, he's… he's Szayel." Then perhaps there were other options placed before me. I knew who it most likely was, but I really wasn't in the mood to pursue love with a goddamned Arrancar. Unless my sub conscience had an epiphany and realized that I loved Ichimaru, I really doubted that it was anyone other than… Arturo. But that was stupid. Wasn't it?_

_Akatora yawned again. "Good morning, Cordi." She said._

"_What?"_

. . . . . . .

Oh.

I reached out beside me, feeling the plush feather pillow on which my head lay. I could've sworn I'd passed out on the floor. Completely lucid, I opened my eyes and looked around. Yep, my room. I slid from bed, just in time to hear a knock on the door. I jumped, startled. "Who is it?"

A hushed voice, like the kind of voice you would expect a porcelain doll to have, answered, "We were ordered to fit you for a uniform. Moira-sama wishes to," a slight, pained pause, "_See_ you and get your input before sketching up any designs."

"Why doesn't she just come herself?" I asked, confused.

"Oh, she's here right next to me. I think…" a pause, "Yes, she is."

How odd. "Well, come in, I guess."

The door opened, and with a swish of fabric entered the two most macabre Arrancar I had ever seen. I gasped, but I didn't cringe. The taller one had this spindly air about her, her eyes intelligent and piercing, but her most prominent features were the stitches deliberately sewn across her mouth, extending up past the corners of her mouth to her ears. Her hollow hole was through her larynx, and a whole loop of stitches circled her neck, as if they were the only thing keeping it on. Her skirt was slit from the top of her thigh; her sleeves her loose but short. Stains of dried blood surrounded all of the stitches, as if they had been replaced a few days ago. Spikes shot up from behind her ears, apparently what remained of her Hollow mask. She had odd mauve hair, and her eyes were heterochromatic, with a dark purple on one side and a dark Tuscany red on the other. She gave me an uncertain look, her head tilting to the side as she analyzed me.

The other woman was at least a head or so shorter, but she was certainly less nightmarish. Her downturned face was absolutely beautiful, the stitches binding her eyes shut perhaps even adding to her beauty. Lovely black, bobbed hair framed her face heart-shaped face. Her uniform reminded one of a tavern wench, with shoulder-less sleeves, a tight black bodice, and a flowing skirt. In her arms, she held many rolls of fabrics. She gave a soft smile. "Greetings," she gestured to the taller woman, "This is our current Novena Espada, Moira Desmarais, and I am her one and only fracciones, Magdalena Yeux."

I smiled timidly, "Hi, um. I'm Cordelia. Or Aozora. I suppose it doesn't matter what you call me."

Magdalena nodded, and then perked up somewhat before letting out a strange series of chirping sounds. She tilted her head and nodded slightly before proceeding to stride confidently towards the bed and set down the fabrics. I was preoccupied watching the creepy one to look at her too closely. "What was up with the clicking?" I asked.

She laughed quietly. "Echolocation, but not the kind that bats use, because bats aren't within hearing range," she shrugged, "I use it to compensate for the fact that I can't see."

I turned to ask how that happened, only to be met with a startling sight. Crisscrossing over Magdalena's chest, mainly around the arms, where several extremely large scars. In fact, I wasn't sure whether they were scars or just places where she had been stitched back together, as the thread was still there, binding everything together. Her number, a gothic eighty-two, had barely escaped mutilation. I stammered, "Wha- What happened to your… your arms… and torso…?"

Magdalena frowned and turned to Moira. "Mistress…. May I disclose information about our abilities?" She asked with concern.

The woman continued examining me for a few moments before tapping Magdalena lightly on the shoulder.

The smaller Arrancar lowered her head. "Thank you, Mistress," she lifted her head again and spoke. "Moira-sama and I have this thing called 'Puppet Construction' in place of high-speed regeneration. We can simply piece ourselves back together, as long as Moira-sama does the stitching. I don't know all the details; it's Moira-sama that does all that stuff."

… Wait, that didn't answer the question.

As Magdalena finished, Moira strode over to the bedside and began sifting through the pile of white and black fabrics until she came across what seemed to be white genuine silk. With her face in an eternal intense expression, she held the fabric up to me, as if examining how the colors went.

"Moira-sama wants to know if you have a preference in fabric," Magdalena asked. Moira looked to me expectantly.

I shook my head. Moira rolled her eyes and began sifting through the fabrics again, but Magdalena continued standing in anticipation. It took me a second to remember that she couldn't see. "Um… no preference," I stuttered out, "But I guess I'm used to cotton."

The taller Arrancar stopped moving and gave me a peeved look. Still staring me straight in the eye, she leaned over and punched Magdalena lightly on the shoulder. Magdalena swayed somewhat. She tilted her head to the side. "Yes, Mistress, I thought so as well," she pressed her lips together tightly before speaking with a tolerant voice, "Cordelia, when you have a preference of fabric, answer that you have a preferred fabric. Don't try to be polite when it's redundant or pointless. Both of us hate that."

"Um…" I frowned, "Sorry."

Moira gave me another pointed glare.

Magdalena frowned. "Just don't do it again, please."

With that, Moira went back to her fabrics.

. . . . . . . .

The Espada held up the outfit, which she had miraculously, meticulous stitched together right there in my room. The speed at which she had sewn the seams reminded me, oddly enough, of Ishida Uryu, the only difference was that she did not even bother to tread the needle, nor did she even have any thread. The thread generated from the heel of her palm, and it glowed somewhat, still resonating with the Reiatsu used to generate it.

The finished product, I observed, was a bright white ensemble. It was simple, with nice, beautiful, black lace (where did it come from I have no idea) lining the hem and the neckline. She had imitated my Soul Reaper uniform nicely, likely noticing the custom work I had done on it. It was layered, just as my uniform is, except with white on top and black, tight, form-fitting black turtleneck beneath.

"Try it on," Magdalena said. Moira stepped forward and assisted me out of my Soul Reaper uniform, much to my protest, and into the outfit. It was basically an inverted version on by Soul Reaper uniform with shorter sleeves, just with the added lace and some slits cut into the sides of the exposed spandex, giving it a punk feel. I knew white didn't generally look too good on me, as it made me look like a ghost instead of just pale.

"I… I love it," I said.

Moira flexed her mouth in what seemed like a smile. "We are pleased that you enjoy it, Miss Tucker," Magdalena said, "We will return to tomorrow to craft a more formal ensemble as requested."

Requested? I had been under the impression that this was routine. "Pardon? Who requested it?" I asked.

Magdalena pursed her lips. "Well, Szayel Aporro-sama did," She shrugged, "I just think he was trying to be nice, which is rare. I apologize if that makes you uncomfortable, Miss Tucker."

"Please, call me Cordelia," I replied.

Magdalena smiled and gave a little bow. "Then please, address me as Maggie," she said.

"Of course," I said. Just then, the door to my room opened and Arturo stepped in, clearly not expecting to see the two Arrancar.

"Who are these people?" he demanded.

I adjusted my posture. "Um. The ninth Espada and her assistant."

His face turned to me, his expression intense like Moira's, but then performed a double take. "Your outfit. It's new."

"Yeah. Moira-san made it," I said plainly, gesturing to the Espada.

He nodded. "It's nice," he said tensely.

"Moira-sama chose the fabric to match her preferences. In order to allow Cordelia to feel comfortable, she imitated her Soul Reaper uniform as closely as possible. Also, she added the lace and the slits to emphasis to her uniquely svelte form," Maggie intoned with an air of a rehearsed line, "It was designed especially for her."

Moira stepped forward and tapped Maggie on the back of the neck, continuing past her towards the door. "Hm? Oh, of course, Moira-sama," She answered hurriedly.

Maggie exits the room first, but Moira lingers. Her eyes settled upon Arturo, that analyzing gaze piercing him. He stared right back at her, bulking. Something akin to a growl rises from her throat, her lips parting ever so slightly, her stitches stretching grotesquely.

They stood there and sized each other up for a few moments before Arturo spoke. "I have my own pet, woman," he sneered, "I've no interest in yours."

Desmarais narrowed her eyes before strutting off.

Arturo watched her go before letting his scowl lighten somewhat. "Don't keep company like that. She's too bestial. Unpredictable."

I looked at him, confused. "Why? What was that about?"

He growled. "She was attempting to mark her territory."

A pause. A very long pause. So that was why the lace and slits. "… Oh."

Arturo placed his hand to his forehead in a sign of frustration. "Not you, moron. I've been talking to people. The Octavo and she have a mutual understanding. She wouldn't attempt to encroach upon what he's trying to claim as his." He ran his hand through his hair. "It was her fracciones she was getting defensive over. That bitch thinks of her as a possession. You noticed the tears across the small one's chest, correct?"

I nodded.

"Then use your brain for once, Soul Reaper," he sneered, "Never had I seen that much servility in an Arrancar, even a weaker one such as Yuex."

His words disturbed me somewhat. Moira had seemed so protective of her fracciones. She wouldn't let someone harm a single hair on Maggie's head. "I have no idea," I answered.

Arturo scowled. "Then you don't see. If you can't understand what's going on between those two, then you aren't even fit to be here. It's basic understanding of Arrancar nature." He frowned, his eyebrows furrowing together. "I'll leave you to think about it some more."

So he left, leaving me alone once more.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** Moira Desmarais and Magdalena Yeux are very well developed characters. You can actually find very extensive profiles of them on the Bleached Chaos RP forum. I put much effort into them. They are my babies. I also have pictures of them on my DeviantART, which there is a link to on my author page. No pictures of Aozora in either outfit yet, unfortunately. :P


	8. Making Friends PART THREE

A/N: While chapters will be coming a lot slower, they will increase in quality. Why? Because I draft my chapters now. Not because I want to, though, it's more because if I didn't, they'd never be done. Also, excuse this essay-like author's note.

Everyone (my OCs) have theme and character songs now; character songs are what describe them as a person while theme songs are more like what would play when they walked into the room.

Cordelia's (or if you prefer to call her Aozora, that's fine) theme song is "Peace Love and Understanding" by A Perfect Circle. The song is from the point of view of a normal man, who looks at the world and realizes that there isn't really such a thing as peace. You'd have to listen to it. Her character theme is a bit more… nuanced. In addition, it pertains more to the sequel than this story. It's "Stairway to the Skies" by Within Temptation. I think it really is an accurate description of Cordelia's core personality. It's about a woman who almost died, but there's so much keeping her behind in the living, "whenever you call for me, lend an arm, I'll be one step behind."

Moira's theme is "The Outsider" by A Perfect Circle, which needs some explanation, I guess. The song is about a girl who is being melodramatic and is going to kill herself for attention. I don't know how to explain it. Moira is a very sick, very depraved, very _monstrous_, and all for no true reason other than the very faint whispers of her past life and the blind need for revenge. Revenge on whom? Well, Sachiko, the woman who lied and caused Kayo Satou to be sentenced to death, that is who. You know Kayo as Moira Desmarais, and you know Sachiko, as well, except her name is Magdalena Yuex. Her character song is "Si deus me requliet", from the Kuroshitsuji OST. Look up the translation if you want to.

More character themes next chapter.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

PreludeToSadness: Aozora's Story

Chapter Eight: Making Friends (Part III)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_-Cordelia Tucker-_

The sudden lecture from Arturo sent me reeling. As what he'd said began to process, the more it made sense, and the more I wished it weren't true.

Moira Desmarais was nothing more than an utter monster, and I didn't have any evidence to convince me otherwise.

. . . . . . . . . .

_-Arturo Plateado-_

I had expected the sparring room to be just as deserted as it had been an hour before, but this was not the case. As I approached the facility, Espada-level reiatsu filled the air, both of them familiar signatures. Upon entering, the explosion of a cero clouded the room. I ducked as several sharp needles embedded in the stone around me.

"Come out… come out… wherever you are," taunted a rasping voice of a woman.

Someone cackled.

"Found you!" the voice screamed, followed by a crash.

As the debris cleared, I could see that one of the combatants was Szayel Aporro Granz in what appeared to be his resurreccion. He was enraged, his face distorted in anger. "You bitch!" he yelled. He popped open a doll and took out a handful of parts, crushing them in his hand.

The second combatant was still somewhat veiled by the fallout, but the squelch of her organs was audible throughout the room. She coughed, hacking up blood and bodily fluids. As the last of the debris cleared, a womanly figure was revealed, suspended on eight large needle-like legs that protruded from her waist. She wiped her mouth and corrected her posture, gripping her navel. Her heterochromatic eyes glared in contempt. "You can't stop my attacks, Szayel," Moira wheezed, "Stop trying."

What a surprise; the spider could speak. Her atrophied vocal chords produced a pitiful, fragile sound that gave the impression that her larynx could snap any second.

She lifted her talon-tipped fingers, energy coiling in the center until a crystal like cable shot from it. The crystalized-reiatsu wire wrapped tightly around a shocked Szayel and pulled him towards her. He struggled, but she muscled her way to his neck and sunk her visibly venom-laden fangs into the exposed flesh.

He immediately pushed her off and stumbled back, his hand clapped over the puncture wound. "Dammit, Moira!"

"All's fair in war, Octavo," she rasped, clicking towards him.

Granz teetered and fell, his resurreccion deactivating. "But now I must… make and antidote before I replace… your organs, Novena!" he slurred, off balance from the venom.

"Hn," she stepped back, "I can wait." Her head snapped up. "Magdalena!" she called, her voice just barely wavering from her hidden pains.

The girl appeared from a recluse corner of the room. "Yes, Mistress?"

"Assist me." Her resurreccion retreated, the needles retracting into her body. Without the support, she fell to the floor in a heap. Magdalena approached her and carefully wrapped her arms beneath the Espada's shoulders.

I stayed as still and quiet as possible, but while Magdalena remained ignorant of my presence, Moira sent me a wicked glare. It was evident that she did not like the fact that I now knew the nature of her abilities. I wouldn't be too happy, either, should the situation have been reversed.

As they left, the Octavo struggles to push himself off the ground. I sighed and lent him a hand, begrudgingly.

He threw me a skeptical look. "You wound me, Plateado," he clasped my hand, "The paralysis would've worn off eventually."

I scoffed and pulled him to his feet. "I owe you a favor," I informed him, supporting the Espada's weight.

He raised a feminine eyebrow, "Oh?"

"You cured my pet of her digestive problem, and in turn made care of her simpler," I sneered.

To my surprise, Szayel scowled. "I didn't do it for you. Any convenience I have given you is completely collateral."

I narrowed my eyes. His behavior towards Cordelia had been suspicious from the beginning, but this threw it into a whole other category. He was after what clearly belonged to me. My primal instincts began to surface, the need to protect my territory bubbling.

It took all my control not to drop the scientist on the floor there and then. Instead, a scowl painted my face as I helped him back to his complex.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_-Cordelia Tucker-_

After I finished my deep thinking and mindless panicking, I sat in my room confronted with my worst and greatest enemy: Boredom.

I paced my room for least half an hour before the tedium of the action began to get to me. I started to enjoy the sound my boots made when I walked, so I began absently tapping my feet, which of course led to rhythm, which led to me dancing to and singing the first song I could remember. "Pon pon daishite…" I was in the middle of the "pon pon wei wei wei" part when someone a distance away screamed.

I jumped. Suddenly extremely curious and somewhat concerned, I ran out of my room towards the ongoing guttural scream. I wasn't too far down the hall when I reached a door. There weren't any other doors nearby and the screaming was loudest here, so it was the only choice. I opened the door and stepped inside.

It was a larger room, and lining the walls were shelf after shelf of fabrics, colors consisting of mostly white with a lot of black as well. Several old-fashioned iron sewing machines sat on the counters, next to them a pile of finished and in-progress garments. The screaming came from the back of the room, behind tables covered in highly piled stacks of what seemed to be Tupperware tubs. I cautiously proceeded towards the sound, my eyes widening when I saw Moira, her stitches out and moaning in pain. Magdalena sat beside her anguished mistress, fawning over her.

My heart nearly jumped out my throat when Moira's eyes fell on me, her cries pausing to shout a stream of profanities.

Magdalena didn't seem to process that there was someone else in the room. "Mistress, would you like me to fetch your stitching twine and needle?"

The Espada sent her fracciones an annoyed glare and growled.

Maggie's head tilted. "What?" she turned towards my direction. "Is someone there?"

I wondered why she didn't just use her echolocation before I realized that she probably couldn't with all the noise Moira was making. "It's me, Cordelia," I said, making my presence known. "Would you like some help?"

"No. Leave," she dismissed.

"Please! I can help! I… I know how to sew!" I begged. "You can help Moira while I help you catch up on your work!" Anything to alleviate my boredom.

Magdalena frowned. "Your underlying assumption is that I'm behind on my work," she sighed. "I don't know… there is one thing, though. I have someone very important coming by soon to pick up part of his uniform, but I haven't gotten to it." She crossed her arms; "If you made any mistakes…" she looked unsure.

"Please, Maggie," I pleaded, "I promise, I'll be careful!"

Moira's cries decreased in intensity. She spoke, her voice raspy. "Let her work, Magdalena. I am curious."

Maggie turned to her mistress and kneeled, kissing her hand. "Yes, Mistress, of course. Forgive me for arguing. Please, rest your voice." She rose, turning from Moira, who was no longer screaming, but instead panting from the pain. Maggie sighed and gestured to one of the sewing machines. "Do you know how to work these?"

I was about to answer when I got a closer look at one. While it did have the normal pedal, I also noticed a gauge attached at the side; the unit measured was something called 'Rei'. Confused, I inquired as to what it measured.

"Oh? What's a Rei?" she pursed her lips. "It's a unit of measurement invented by Szayel Aporro-sama to measure amounts of Reiatsu."

There was a beat of silence. "Why the hell hasn't Soul Society thought of that?"

Magdalena shrugged. "If you want to know more, you'll have to ask Granz-sama about it. I do know that the scale goes from one to one-million."

"What's your Rei count?" I asked out of curiosity.

She paused, turning partially to face Moira. "Mistress?"

"I do not care."

"Thank you, Mistress," she turned back to me. "Last time I had it checked, my power level is seventy-thousand eight-hundred Rei."

I quirked an eyebrow. "Isn't that a little low?"

Maggie shook her head. "No. In fact, it is rather high for an Adjuchas-Arrancar fracciones. The normal is around sixty-thousand, I think. Lady Moira's power level is one-hundred sixty-thousand four-hundred Rei."

"Can you tell my power level?" I asked.

She shook her head. "You'll have to ask Szayel-sama," she said, "Now; the special thing about our sewing machines is that you can power them with your Reiatsu. I shall demonstrate." She sat at the stool in front of the device. She picked up the nearest unfinished garment – a suspiciously familiar jacket – and placed a foot on the pedal. "You need to get it started first," she continued to explain the mechanics of how to use it and I listened carefully. When she finished, she excused herself and went to attend to Moira.

I watched her walk over to a cabinet and remove a wooden box. She sat beside Moira and gave her a pair of tweezers. My station was right next to them, so I caught a glimpse of the box's contents: a medium-sized hooked needle and a spool of thin leather twine. Swiftly, Moira took the tweezers and began removing the whisker-like remnants of string from her lips while Maggie held a small mirror, the Espada's skin stretching like an earlobe when removing a piercing.

I looked away, expecting my stomach to begin turning. Then I remembered the medication that Szayel gave me earlier. If I were lucky, I'd never have an upset stomach again. Ever.

Letting out a sigh, I concentrated on the garment of clothing in front of me. It really did look familiar. I examined it closely and discovered it was Grimmjow's jacket.

… Good god, was he walking around shirtless?

There was an odd pressure in my sinuses at the thought, followed by a dull, muffled pain. I touched my lip, my fingers coming away bloodied. Oh. A nosebleed. Huh. That's new.

…Oh, Szayel, you bastard. How much did I want to bet that nosebleeds here a side effect of that serum? "Maggie, do you have any tissues or scrap fabric?" I asked.

The Arrancar turned her head towards me and sniffed the air, smelling blood. "Did you cut yourself? I did not think you to be so clumsy."

"No. I-I got a nosebleed," I answered sheepishly.

"Nosebleed?" she repeated, confused, "You were thinking vulgar thoughts?"

"Um… this jacket here wouldn't happen to belong to Grimmjow Jeagerjacques, would it?" I asked.

To my utter and complete shock, Magdalena's cheeks blushed a perfect shade of pink. Her pale hands went to cover the cheeks. "Yes. Yes it does indeed belong to Jeagerjacques –sama."

"He's not walking around shirtless, is he?"

Maggie smiled. "He does so quite often," she giggled a bit and handed Moira a threaded needle. "Is he really so desirable as to cause nosebleeds?"

I grinned. "I assure you, Grimmjow Jeagerjacques is the hottest thing to happen to Hueco Mundo." Well, at least when he didn't have that shit-eating grin on his face.

She laughed and directed me towards the scrap pile and I took a white piece of fabric and wiped the blood from my nose. "So… you like Grimm-kitty?" I never pegged Magdalena to be the blushing schoolgirl type, but whatever.

Maggie seated herself at my station and was currently sewing so fast that I couldn't see the needle. "Jeagerjacques-sama has been… interested in me for a while now," she said shamelessly, "In a mating sense, I mean."

Okay, what? I supposed it had been a decade or two since the events of the Deicide arc, but _what_? Had Grimmjow's fight with Ichigo really have changed him so much?

Maggie finished repairing the jacket and folded it up in her arms. A smile lit up her face. "You know what, Cordelia-san?" she brought the fabric to her face and inhaled deeply. "I intend to let him."

"Let him do what?"

I turned, a blush and gasp beside me, a confident grin before me, and an irritated growl from behind me.

Magdalena let out a little chirp, renewing her mental image of the room with her echolocation. She quickly righted herself and bowed at the waist. "Jeagerjacques-sama," she greeted, sounding both glad to see him and embarrassed at the same time. "I was expecting you to come by soon to pick up your jacket."

Just then, I got a good look at him, my inner fan-girl already awake. Grimmjow Jeagerjacques stood in the doorway, absolutely shirtless; a beautiful, battle-scarred Adonis. His cerulean blue hair hung limp and damp, his vibrant eyes gazed out from beneath it. I caught the lingering scent of Axe or perhaps Old Spice wafting in, and then it hit me.

He'd just gotten out of the shower.

My blood pressure spiked and my nostrils let out a pint of blood in a single spew, the shock of which threw me on my back.

When I recovered, I grabbed a larger piece of scrap fabric and dabbed up the blood left on my face. I noticed bloodstains on my outfit. "Oh fuck… I hope Szayel has some industrial strength bleach…" I blinked, "Oh irony…" I coughed.

The people in the room all looked towards me, Maggie smelling the blood, Grimmjow just a bit curious and maybe a tad concerned, and Moira in disgust. "Oh, don't mind me," I sang with a dismissive wave, "Just… continue interacting."

Grimmjow quirked an eyebrow and looked at Maggie. "Hey, is she okay?"

Before Maggie had a chance to answer, I realized what had just come out of his mouth. "UGH! What is this world coming to?" I cried. "Hell must've frozen over! Grimm-kitty has become a gentleman!" I spazzed and pointed at Maggie. "YOU! You are a lucky motherfucker! I envy youuuuuu…" my head started to spin as the loss of blood began to get to me and I passed out.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"_You bitch… you hypocritical pretentious bitch…," said a voice deep within my mind._

_I sat up, expecting to be greeted with the golden fields of my inner world, only to be met with a dark void. In front of me stood a familiar form, not Akatora, but someone else. It turned; it's pale, deathly skin blending with its blank, pupil-less eyes. "What makes you so special, huh? What makes you so better than us, Cordelia?"_

_Akatora jumped from the void, her humanoid form catching my attention. "No!" she yelled as she tackled the thing. "Go away! Your venomous hatred isn't welcome here!"_

_The memory shrieked at her, but dissolved all the same._

_My Zanpakuto sighed in relief and turned to me, placing a paw on my forehead._

"_Akatora, what-"_

_She shushed me. "You don't need to know. This is my burden only. When you wake, you'll have no memory of this encounter, okay?" she cooed, her motherly tone worrying me._

"_But-"_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I woke up with a needle in my arm.

"Cordelia-san?"

I rolled over groggily. "Ehereh?" I opened my eyes to see Szayel, and then I closed them again. "Go to hell," I mumbled.

He sighed. "Let me give you something for those nosebleeds," he said stiffly. He walked off and returned with a pill and a glass of water. I took it and gave the glass back to him. Without a word, he set the glass on the nightstand and went to check my vitals.

I frowned. "Who shoved a stick up your butt?"

"You talk in your sleep," he stated flatly, avoiding the question. "Who is Sharon?"

I pursed my lips. "Sharon?" The name rang a bell, but it had been years… "I… I think she was my best friend when I was alive," I replied, hesitantly. I also think she was my first bisexual crush, but I certainly wasn't going to tell him that.

He looked at me blankly.

I blinked. A memory began to creep in. A memory of a crowded room, a skin-tight jumpsuit, and crumbling, candy-corn colored horns the length of my arm. I gripped my temples. "I… should have wrapped them in duct tape. I should have taken Kelly's advice…"

He quirked an eyebrow. "Oh?"

My brow furrowed. "Model Magic is brittle… and the horns were large and sort of heavy… my trident was breaking too…" I took a deep breath. "I was a cosplay disaster." I sighed.

"And this memory is relevant how?"

"The… it's the weekend I died." I elaborated. "It was a long weekend and they'd booked the convention for three days instead of two. I cosplayed the first two days, but by the third day, the gray body paint was giving me a rash." I tugged my hair. "I… I-I can't remember the rest. It's so foggy…"

Szayel frowned. "Don't force it. Your memory will return on its own time."

I sighed and nodded. However, I remembered something. "Oh, Szayel, can you tell me my power level?" I inquired.

"In terms of Rei?" he clarified, "Of course. I took it shortly after I gave you the serum. You have a power level of one-hundred thousand five seven-hundred."

Huh. Wait a second… "That's-"

"That's the strength of a strong Lieutenant or a weak captain, Cordelia. Arrancar Rei tends to be naturally lower than high-ranking Shinigami," he scowled. "Shinigami also tend to be more all-round with their skills, and less arrogant about it. You, Cordelia, have a lot of potential," he crossed his arms, "Even without the aid of the serum; your reiatsu is still quite high for your rank. You're a match for any Arrancar in Las Noches except the Espada."

I blinked. "Wow." Was I really so strong? Even with Akatora, I doubted that I'd be able to defeat someone like Magdalena.

"So," he began, "Can I get you anything? Water, milk, some kind of bizarre carbonated substance, tea…?"

Oh god, not Szayel too. "You and Grimmjow wouldn't happen to have the same disease, would you? Because I think you have a Chivalry epidemic on your hands." I paused, "Unless you were planning to spike it with something sketchy."

Szayel sighed. "Apparently, something Kurosaki said along with his near-death experience knocked something over in that idiot's brain. He's still the same battle-crazed idiot, though. You should see him on the battlefield. I swear, he's deserves a promotion."

"You avoided my question very skillfully. So you _were_ going to put something in my drink," I plopped down on my pillow. "By the way, did you fix up Moira? She was screaming something awful."

He answered with the slightest hesitation. "Yes. I replaced her destroyed organ while you were unconscious."

I punched the pillow. "Destroyed organs? You guys fought in resurreccion?"

"Stress relief. For both of us," he deadpanned.

I let that process. They were both sadistic, territorial, and often stepped on by other Espada. They probably worked together a lot. In addition, stress relief, well, one could do other things besides fight. "… Good lord, you two are mated, aren't you?" I concluded.

Szayel quirked a feminine eyebrow. "Mated? Of course not. I applaud your deduction skills, though," he stood and straightened his shirt. "Tea, then?"

"So… friends with benefits?" oh, no way was I letting this go.

He reached into the cabinet of the kitchenette and pulled out a box of tea. "Less than. I despise her. Earl Grey or Oolong?"

I giggled. "Oolong."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_-Moira Desmarais-_

When one's fracciones can be likened to a teenager, things can become… complicated. For five years, I'd tried my damned hardest to keep those two apart. It wasn't like there was much I could do, though. Jeagerjacques was the Sexta. I had no authority over him, but I certainly had superiority over my property.

I stood in the center of my workroom, newly replaced innards functioning well. My gaze scanned the room, my pesquisa following it. Magdalena was nowhere to be found. A growl escaped my bound lips. I had specifically told her to stay and finish her work. Ever since that Grimmjow had started sticking his nose in my business, she'd been getting more and more defiant. My carefully molded servant was becoming no better than the other hoodlums in this place were.

A foreign reiatsu signature lingered in the room. I inhaled deeply, a scent that shouldn't have been so strong reaching my nose. My nostrils flared in rage. Oh, hell no.

I dashed out the door and expanded my senses, feeling the points of reiatsu that marked my fracciones's presence in the sixth tower. I allowed myself to perform sonido as fast as I could until I reached the door painted with a large, gothic six. I opened the door and entered, silent.

The room was almost identical to my own, with a medium-sized sofa and a full-sized bed, all monochrome. Without a sound, I stepped over the bed, standing over the two now sleeping forms. The Sexta should know better than to sleep so deeply when an enemy such as I lurked. He should know. Temptation to flip the mattress crossed my mind, but in the end, I decided against disturbing them. I'd allow them their peace. I'd be a hypocrite otherwise. The Octavo was a wimp, but I was more than certain that Grimmjow was quite the opposite.

Only one thing truly bothered me about this whole ordeal. Magdalena had always been completely mine. From the moment she died, she had been my possession alone. Now she was not. I knew exactly why this irked me. Jealousy was not a foreign emotion to me. It never had been.

I left the room, closing the door behind me with sound than the passage of air.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** Originally, that last part was from Maggie's point of view and you would've had an almost lemon. It's not that I'm too lazy to type it all up (no that's exactly it), I'm just being cautious because of FF's recent crack-down (excuses, excuses).

Sorry for the long wait, though, guys. Expect another somewhat long wait, because I don't have the draft of the next one finished yet. Oh! Expect a nice fight between the main couple chapter ten! Tension builds between the two next chapter! We will get this ship sailing!

Oh, and if you can tell me what Homestuck character Cordelia was cosplaying, I will love you.


	9. Clash

**A/N:** As I begin to type this… I don't know what I want to write a chapter for yet. Actually… How about some PtS? Okay! I've got most of this chapter written out, anyways! *ties a Hachimaki on her head* Let's do this!

On another note, no Moira and Mags in this chappy, but there is lots of Szayel. Speaking of Szayel, while writing this, I had my adorable little Szayel Shimeji-ee crawling around the screen. He's so adorable yet so disturbing.

Also, please remember that Cordelia is relatively promiscuous (at least compared to everyone else in Seireitei) and has promiscuous thoughts. In certain situations, her logic is reduced to a pile of primordial goop.

**Disclaimer: **And kiddies, don't try to make thermite at home unless you know what you're doing and have sufficient adult supervision. Thermite burns at 2000 degrees Celsius and can melt through concrete, and it makes a very bright light. I don't want anyone burning down his or her house or going blind, okay?

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PreludeToSadness: Aozora's Story

Chapter Nine: Clash

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_-Cordelia Tucker-_

"So…" I began, "Any reason why you ordered Moira to make me so many outfits?" I asked, handling a beaker of hydrochloric acid. I didn't know the molarity of it so I handled it with caution. If I spilled any of it on me, the outcome could range anywhere from a strange tingling sensation to me not having any skin.

Szayel gave me a sidelong glance as dumped a somewhat large container of iron oxide into the bucket of shredded aluminum. "Why not?" he shrugged.

I would pursue the topic further, but another issue was a bit more pressing. "Szayel, one, why the hell are you making thermite, and, two, you do realize I could do that? You just need some rust, aluminum foil, a blender, and a sparkler for a good home-made reaction."

"Security purposes, Cordelia," he snipped, "Please put the hydrochloric acid into this bucket," he ordered emotionlessly.

"What? No! Are you trying to kill me?" I exclaimed, "What's the molarity of this crap, anyways?"

He sighed. "Six molar. They don't react with each other. Nothing will happen. Besides, termite is a stable explosive."

I looked between the beaker, the bucket, and Szayel, trying to decide if I wanted to risk my life on his stupid thermite. Finally, I swallowed my heart and walked up to the bucket, bracing myself as I poured the HCl over the contents. I let out a sigh of relief when it didn't explode in my face.

My bravery was rewarded with a pat on the back. "Good job," he said sarcastically, "While you're not the best lab assistant I've ever had, you're at least competent."

I raised an eyebrow at this. "Who is better, Verona or Lumina?" I asked with a chuckle.

He suddenly got very quiet, and the warning flags in my mind shot up. I tried to think back on what I'd known about Szayel from the series. For the life of me, I could not remember Szayel having any other fracciones than his genetically engineered, edible ones. His silence was tense, the panic of it heightening as he mixed the termite. My eyes widened in a vague form of apprehension. "Szayel, _what is the thermite for?_" I asked firmly.

The door slammed open. "GRANZ!" roared the intruder

Szayel's eyes widened in panic. "Shit!" he grabbed for the container, frantically trying to prepare the mixture before he abandoned it completely, bracing himself against the counter and going for his Zanpakuto. I stepped to the side only to be lifted up by the collar of my shirt and thrown harshly aside, my back whamming into the metal shelves of glass flasks and beakers. A handful of them fell from the shelf and shattered around me, surrounding me with shards of broken glass. My vision blurred and darkened from the rough handling, but through my stupor I could easily make out the voices.

I heard Szayel let out a grunt of protest. "Unhand me…!" he strained, still keeping up his proud façade.

As my head lolled to the side, I cracked open my eyelids, just making out a tall figure with a large bulbous hood. "You goddamned liar!" Nnoitra raged. The sounds of Nnoitra's abuse of the scientist filled the room. Glass shattered, shelves tumbled. "You piece of _shit_!" Nnoitra threw him, his limp body slamming into the wall.

"I had no choice!" Szayel managed to yell, "It was me or her!"

Nnoitra's Zanpakuto smashed against the wall, the twin edges on either side of Szayel's head.

Motivated by the urge to save Szayel's ass, I pushed my bruised, aching back away from the shelf, shards of glass becoming embedded in the palms of my hands. I staggered towards the bucket of termite on the counter, my bloodied hands grasping the table to hold myself up. I grabbed what looked like some sort of over-sized trowel and scooped a hefty amount of thermite and flinging it in Nnoitra's general direction. He looked back at me for a moment before completely disregarding both me and the seemingly harmless substance at his feet.

He turned back to Szayel and began yelling again, "You had no fucking right to do that, you bastard!"

Szayel shouted in return, "I had no choice, Quinta!"

I went for an incantation bypass, extending my arms out in front of me. "Hado number thirty-one, _Shakkahou!"_

Just as I was calling out the spell, Nnoitra screamed something at Szayel that made me regret my interference. "_SHE WAS MY MATE!_"

Unfortunately for Nnoitra, the thermite at his feet ignited.

If I recalled correctly, thermite burned at over two-thousand degrees Celsius.

There was a flash of light, similar to those in fireworks, followed by a slew of curses. It only burned for a few seconds, but thankfully, I looked like Nnoitra's Heirro had saved him from any permanent damage. The air _was_ filled with the smell of burning rubber, though, as the Espada's boots had been completely melted off his feet. The three of us would likely reek of it after this.

"You-" Nnoitra – now on his knees, examining his damaged feet – managed to snarl at me before Szayel came up behind him and knocked him out with the pommel of Fornicaras.

Szayel looked down at me, our eyes briefly looked as his golden eyes filled with guilt. I wondered to myself whether I'd done the right thing. Sure, Nnoitra was going to beat the scientist to a bloody pulp, but would he have deserved it? Had Szayel done something unforgivable?

He seemed to hear my unspoken queries and sighed. "Go take a shower and wash out your injuries. You seem to have a few chemical burns. I'll help you get the glass out of your hands."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Arturo Plateado_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It had been a long time since such instinctual emotions had coursed through me, back when I had been a fresh hollow had been the only other time. The urge to protect that which was mine gnawed at the back of my mind. It wasn't too unfamiliar a feeling, but it had been so long, and never had it been towards another sentient being. I had never had the opportunity for a companion before, thus there had been object for such territorial emotions.

I knocked on the door to Cordelia's quarters. My eyes narrowed in suspicion, as there was no response. An unfamiliar scent lingered in the air, putting me on edge. I entered the vacant room when the scent finally registered. Szayel. Aporro. Granz.

He had been in Cordelia's bedroom. How _DARE_ he?

My vision became clouded in red. What insolence! Without a moment's hesitation, I found myself Sonido'ing to the Octavo's palace. I ignored the busted door, entering anyways. I spotted the scientist immediately, the dilute, lingering scent near confirming my suspicions.

"Plateado?" He looked up from his work and adjusted his glasses. He already looked like he'd sustained a bit of beating, but I couldn't care less. "What brings you here?"

"Where is she?" I demanded angrily, "What have you done with her?"

He quirked an eyebrow. "Cordelia-san? She's in the shower," he answered plainly.

I growled. "Why? What did you do to her?"

A smug smirk briefly reached his face, enraging me further. "Calm down, Plateado," he dead-panned, "Nnoitra went on a rampage and threw her into a shelf. She had shards of glass in her hands and a few chemical burns. She needs to wash up before I can treat her wounds."

I frowned, my anger towards Szayel fading and an annoyance towards Gilga rising. Either Cordelia had been taken by surprise or she wasn't powerful enough to defend herself.

"She also nearly burned his feet off by setting off a thermite reaction with a Kido," he added with a slight grin.

Huffing, my shoulders sagged, anger replaced with exasperation. _Never mind_. She was a resilient girl. She could easily hold her own in fight – when not emotionally compromised. I recalled my own fights with the Soul Reaper. The first had been brief, but it did not fail to leave an impression. Catching me off-guard with the binding spell had been impressive, but if I hadn't been able to escape in that last moment, it was quite likely I would have been injured. The second time, I only won because I hadn't been caught off-guard and she had been so infuriated that she wasn't thinking straight.

"Hey, Szayel…?" Cordelia called tentatively from further in the compound. "Where'd you put my clothes?"

He narrowed his eyes at a pile of folded clothes on the counter. "Erm," he swiped it up, "I have your clothes out here."

She gave a sound of mock disgust. "Ew… perv. I'm not going out there," she complained with the hint of a friendly tone.

I wrenched the bundle from Szayel's hands. He was shocked for a moment, if not a little indignant, but he lifted his hands in a gesture of reluctant surrender and backed-off.

Grumbling, I marched towards where I thought her voice had come from. I opened the door without announcing myself to see Cordelia wrapped only in towel, leaning over the sink while trying to untangle a brush from her lion's mane of hair. She stared at me, blue eyes wide and lips parted in surprise as a blush painted her cheeks. "Arturo… w-what…" she noticed the clothes, "Oh. Thanks. Um." She wrung her hands before placing one on the towel that covered her.

I set down the bundle on the sink, stepped behind her, and tugged at the brush stuck in her hair. She let out a sound of protest. "How'd you manage this, girl?"

She crossed her arms. "My hair is thick and I have a lot of it. I go through about three hair brushes a month because of stuff like this," she gestured to the brush. She dug into a drawer and pulled out small pair of silver-colored scissors. She placed it firmly in my hand. "Do me a favor and chop it off."

I blinked. The brush was entangled near the nape of her neck. Her hair fell about halfway down her back. I didn't know why this bothered me so much. With only the slightest hesitation, I began removing the brush. Once I got the brush out, I tried my best to even it out, leaving her hair so short that it barely covered the top of her ears. She ran a hand through her newly butchered hair as she examined it in the mirror and then she… grinned like a madwoman. Of course. "I like it!" she exclaimed.

She pumped her fists, causing her towel to fall slightly. She squealed and grabbed it before anything was revealed. "Th-thank you, Arturo," she stuttered happily.

I narrowed my eyes. "Why have you been spending so much time around Octavo?" I demanded.

She blinked and tilted her head. "To the point, aren't we?" she let out an exasperated sigh and returned to fluffing her hair. "I've been bored off my ass. Although, after today I think I'll start training again."

"I also hear you've been hanging out with the spider and her pet," I accused.

Cordelia turned and put a hand on her hip. "Excuse me, but I can chose my own friends, thank you very much," she snapped.

A growl escaped my lips. "These people are not your _friends_," I snapped back, "To them, you are a thing to be owned. Not even the spider has completely broken that mold, and you certainly won't either."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Oh yeah?" she taunted, her anger rising, "If everyone is so territorial and evil, Arturo, then _what am I to you_, huh?"

That did it. My hands dug into the counter on either side of her. I watched her eyes widen in fear as apprehension dawned on her. We had been in each other's personal space before, but now it was beyond that. If I leaned down even the littlest bit more, I'd be practically on top of her. She seemed so small, so fragile in comparison to my tall, muscular form. She was enticing when she was terrified. However, she'd never hear that from me. I scowled. "You've forgotten your place," I snarled.

She trembled, the expression on her face shifting from fear to vague confusion. "Arturo, what-"

I leaned in closer. She was so small that if I had been standing straight, her chin would have only reached my hollow hole. I got a good look at her. Her back was still covered in scrapes and her hand were lacerated. I was nearly shaking in infuriation. "Desmarais thinks you're her little dress up doll and Granz wants to keep you as his favorite little test subject, but you're neither of those things, and you never will be," my fingers dug into the counter, the paint chipping under my hands. "Not while I'm still around," it all gushed out of me like an open wound. "Cordelia Tucker, you are _mine_."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Cordelia Tucker_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The intensity of Arturo's words caused them to crawl through me and send a chill through my limbs. My mind raced, struggling to process the input but at the same time understanding it completely.

He was so close. Oh so close. It distracted me from his words until one simple phrase rang through my head, repeating like a church bell. _You are mine._

I steadied my breath, trying to ignore both the pain in my back and the sting on my hands while I thought. From what I gathered, he was over-protective and perhaps a bit jealous. Arturo did seem like the kind of guy that would confuse his feelings. He just needed a little push in the right direction. Lust was a weird thing like that. If you didn't have any experience with it, you wouldn't know what to make of it.

I have him a demure smile. "Arturo," I said softly, "Then prove it." Welp. Off the cliff I go… no going back. I wondered if an Arrancar was as unstoppable as Soifon was when aroused. Huh. Kinky sex in Szayel's bathroom. Okay. I was up for it.

Arturo regarded me with an amount of confusion, as if he was trying to understand what I'd said, then it clicked. His expression turned to one of mild disdain. "No," he said firmly, "I don't need to prove anything to you," he stepped away, but I held him firmly at forearm's length.

I made a sound reminiscent of a woman scolding a pet. "Hey! Come on, I'm boooooooored!" I whined.

He wrenched his arms from my grasp. "This is the kind of thing you do to alleviate your boredom?" he asked incredulously, walking out the door.

I pouted. "Normally I go for women but I've got nothing against guys and all the women here scare me!" I exclaimed as I began to pull on my clothes. I managed to get my underarmor top and shorts on before following after him, hopping as I tried to pull on my hakama. "You're not just going to leave me here?" I cried, "After all that build up?" I nearly tripped over my pants. "You're wasting a perfectly good opportunity here!"

Arturo didn't stop. "You're very odd, Soul Reaper," he said ponderously.

"I know! It's what makes me so sexy!" I shouted as we entered the main lab.

I heard Szayel go "Oomph."

I grabbed the closest hard object and chucked it at him. His face said 'oh shit'. "_NO!_" I blurted. He ducked.

My attention quickly turned back to the fleeing Arrancar. "Arturo…!"

He ignored me and left silently.

The energy that had fueled me the past few moments drained from me completely. The ache of utter rejection lingered like a disease. I despised the feeling. I'd felt it several times before. The first time had been during my many early attempts to get into Gin's pants, he had resisted to the point where it became infuriating and never cracked even the littlest bit, but it had never resulted the cold, empty ache I bore now. The other time… I couldn't remember. Just trying to think about it made my head hurt. I plopped down in a random chair and decided not to think about it.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** Our first real signs of Arturo x Cordelia. Arturo is in love (or as close to love as an Arrancar can get), even if he doesn't know it, but Cordelia… is currently only motivated by her boredom. Lol NOPE.

Also, readers, this is important because I really can't work on this until I get feedback from you guys. The mate that Nnoitra was referring to… should I introduce another OC or do an ass-pull and make it some canon character? I actually have an OC all set and ready, but I feel like another OC couple might be too much to add to the plot. It already got distracted by Moira and co, and I'm not sure if I really want to introduce Yuukiu two-point-oh (If you've read my fic Yearning for Truth, you'd know the character), as I'd have to explain her existence and it would distract from the main plot so much that I wouldn't even know what to do with it. I doubt Cordelia or Arturo would even be involved in the whole ordeal beyond Cordelia making friends with Yuukiu. So… should I leave Nnoitra as he is and leave the entire subplot untouched, or should I do my best to weave it into the already existing plot? I can't stress this enough _**but I cannot work on the next chapter until I get your answer.**_

Your feedback is always appreciated. FFn made reviews easier, too. I don't care if it's just an inane comment, but feedback is ALWAYS WELCOME. ^.^


	10. Alleviation

**A/N:** Well, did I not promise a fight this chapter? Muhaha. Sexual tension is fun.

I realized I'd promised to give more character theme songs last chapter. Looks like I forgot. Ah, I'm actually going to hold off on those, unless you want relationship themes.

Ah, remember Akatora, Cordelia's Zanpakuto? REMEMDER IT'S ABILITY? _HYPERSENSIVITY? Muhahahahahahaha_.

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PreludeToSadness: Aozora's Story

Chapter Ten: Alleviation

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. . . . .

_+Cordelia Tucker+_

. . . . .

_Everything almost seemed normal. Almost. My inner world was well known to me, and I often walked through it in my dreams. Akatora slept beside me, blissfully unaware of the sudden changes that had disfigured my world. The sky was black, a dark miasma spreading throughout the golden plains._

_I stood, examining my surroundings. The watering hole was fuller than I had ever seen it, but the water… was not normal. It was teeming, energetic, and mist-covered. I shivered. What the hell? My world was always so warm. I leaned down over the dark waters, hugging myself briefly in attempt to warm myself. Inquisitively, I dipped a hand down into the small lagoon._

_A pale hand reached out and grasped mine. I gasped, my breath visible in the cold air. It tugged with a demanding force, and I fell in. I vaguely registered that it was not water that I was falling into. More pale hands reached from the void, pulling me deeper into the abyss. I opened my mouth to scream, but in that moment a hand covered my mouth._

"_Cordelia…"_

"_Delia…"_

"_Lia-chan…"_

"_You pretentious bitch…"_

"_You've forgotten us, haven't you, huh?"_

"_Well we certainly haven't forgotten you!"_

_Each pair of hand came with a face. A familiar face. Suddenly, I recognized one of them. She stood before me, scowling as she hurled insult after insult at me._

"…_Sharon?"_

_The thing's face twist in rage and screamed._

. . . . .

I bolted up, screaming. My hands rushed to my chest, which was heaving from the shock. It took a few moments, but I managed to calm myself. My body was covered in sweat and my blankets were bunched up at my feet. I had not had a restful sleep. What a nightmare…

My cheeks were damp, and not with perspiration. Tears were still falling until they came to my attention and I managed to stop them.

A knock came at the door. "Cordelia-san? It's Magdalena. Moira-sama and I have finished making your outfits."

I rubbed my eyes. "Just a second, Mags." I stood, dressed only in my shorts and chest bindings. I grabbed a bathrobe and tied it as I went to open the door. Magdalena stood there, holding several rather large garment bags.

She entered the room and chirped, proceeding to set the heavy garment bags on the bed. "Szayel-sama seemed to think you would look marvelous in semi-formal and formal gowns. Moira-sama agreed," she said as she began to unzip one of the bags.

"Woah, wait," I said, wringing my hands in front of me, "Did you just say _gowns_?"

Maggie looked up in my general direction, paused for a beat, and said plainly, "Did I stutter?" She removed a dress from its bag and held it up as I stared, my mouth hanging open. The dress, like everything else in this place, was pure white, and like my previous outfit, had black lace lining every edge. There was a web of lace that went about a third of the way down before it changed to black ribbon, finishing off at the bottom with delicate black bows. The top had a low-cut neck, and the black-lace covered white fabric only extended to cover the chest until the lace took over.

It was beyond gorgeous. It was wonderful. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever imagined could possibly grace my skin. There was no way in hell I could wear it. "Maggie, I can't wear that," I said, still shocked. I'd probably end up ruining it or ripping the lace or something equally horrible.

She quirked an eyebrow. "No? Why not?"

I'd trip, that's why. "I…" My mind raced to pull a feasible excuse out of my ass, "I'm more comfortable in more… um… form fitting outfits." It was true. I hated the standard Soul Reaper hakama. They were too baggy. I had ended up asking Soi Fon-taichou for a pair from the Stealth Force uniform.

In response to this, she grabbed a different bag and took out what looked like a Cheong Sam, with the same style of black lace edges. It was slit up the sides similar to Moira's skirt.

I blinked. "That is completely do-able," I deadpanned.

Maggie gave a slight smile. "I am glad. I helped on this one," she sighed. "Now, what should I do with this one?" she asked, indicating towards the gown.

Shrugging, I said, "You have it."

She shook her head. "Cordelia-san, I am the Seamstress's fracciones. What do you think we do in our spare time? I have enough dresses," she paused, "But… Szayel-sama does have that newcomer…"

My brow furrowed. "Newcomer?" I asked.

"Yuukiu-san," she clarified.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Arturo Plateado_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The sparring facilities had surprisingly comfortable seating arrangements off to the side. The seats were rather plush. It was pleasant. Nice and quiet. I was alone with my thoughts. At least, I was, until the Quinta Espada came to vent his anger. I had been the only person in the room, so after a few taunts, the idiot managed to get me out into the center of the room.

"You will regret irking me, Quinta," I said, not even bothering to unsheathe Fenix.

He scoffed. "It's just a fucking spar, Plateado. Don't be so dramatic." I could see that he was limping somewhat, his stance was weak and he was constantly shifting his weight.

I narrowed my eyes, a bit indignant.

"Nnoitra!" Shouted the voice of Szayel Aporro Granz.

Both of us turned towards the entrance, "What?" the Quinta replied harshly, "This better be fucking good."

Szayel smirked smugly. "I would've told you before, but you had insisted on unnecessary roughness," he adjusted his glasses, "May I present Yuukiu Victoria Granz, version two-point-oh," he stepped aside, revealing a petite woman with Szayel's same style of dress and features, except she had a rather gratuitous bosom and her facial features were somewhat softened. She had a blank look on her face, as if she were not completely there.

Nnoitra nearly dropped his Zanpakuto. "Y-you…" his eyes went wide, "You remade her?"

The scientist adjusted his gloves. "Yes, and much better this time, too. I learned from my… erm, errors when I made her the first time and this time the results were much closer to the original plan."

This clone, Yuukiu, stepped forward and approached Nnoitra, bowing respectfully. "Hello Nnoitra-sama. I am pleased to meet you."

Nnoitra quirked an eyebrow. "Szayel, what the hell?" he exclaimed, "She's nothing like her. You fucked up. Again."

Szayel shrugged. "I concur. She came out a bit too much like Kurotsuchi Nemu, but it's still Yuukiu."

Quinta crossed his arms and leaned down to get a closer look at the girl. "Oh yeah? Okay…" he frowned, "What do you like to do in your spare time?" he hissed.

The girl blinked. "I do not have much spare time, but as long as I am with father, I am happy," she said, tone completely flat.

He scoffed. "Yeah, but what about when you're not around him?"

She straightened her posture and pushed her glasses up. "There has yet to be a time when I have not been near my father."

Nnoitra growled and stood straight.

"She's only about an hour old, Quinta. Give it a rest," Szayel said, "Yuukiu one-point-oh was extremely promiscuous, but I believe that was due to my own errors early on. Yuukiu two-point-oh is unlikely to develop such a quirk."

I looked between the three, not really caring what the hell was going on.

Frantic footsteps came from the hallway. My attention shifted towards the sound while the two Espada continued to bicker. Not a moment later did Cordelia and that servile Fracciones Magdalena Yuex enter, the latter carrying a black garment bag in her arms.

What surprised me was Cordelia's choice of attire. She wore a tight, form-fitting dress of some sort; it was skin-tight on the torso, but the slit skirt fell somewhat loosely around her feet. She approached the girl. "Hello… um…" she stared blankly at the clone. "Wow, Szayel cloned himself as a chick, right?"

Szayel nodded, "Yes, basically."

She pursed her lips. It was adorable as hell. "You forgot to order an outfit for her, didn't you?" she scolded, gesturing to the loose-fitting copy of Szayel's uniform. "We have a solution!"

Magdalena revealed the contents of the bag and Szayel raised an eyebrow. "Didn't I order that for you, Miss Tucker?"

Haha. What. I scowled but held my tongue.

"I… I hate things that… foof out like that," Cordelia said.

Magdalena proceeded to feel around Yuukiu's waist, arms, and chest, taking measures. The girl took a deep intake of breath, but otherwise did not react much to the molestation. "Her measurements are slightly different from yours, Cordelia, especially around the chest area. I will have to do some alterations," she gestured to Yuukiu, "Follow me."

Szayel brought a hand to his forehead. "Miss Yuex, please do not expose her to your mistress so soon. I will accompany you."

Cordelia hopped, and the curves she did have became very noticeable. "I'm coming too!"

I reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Stay here," I commanded.

"What?" she inquired, "Why?"

I gave her a look, "Yesterday you told me you were going to start training again."

She blinked at me, pouting slightly. "That I did. But you were a total jerk."

"You were being ridiculous," I retorted with a shrug. "Do you want to train or not?"

I heard Nnoitra scoff. "If you're not gonna spar with me, Plateado, I'm out of here."

He left, following shortly after the other three.

Cordelia and I were the only ones left in the room.

I nodded towards the Zanpakuto at her waist. "Let's see what you've got when you're not on a rampage."

She unsheathed her sword, regarding me with a weary expression. "I'm a lieutenant, Arturo; I think I'm pretty damned good." She eyed Fenix, "You going to unarmed?"

Her query was met with a shrug. "I don't need it against you."

"M'kay…" she said absently. She brought her sword up and held it out in front of her. "Wander, Akatora." The sword dissipated, leaving her unarmed as well. She assumed a fighting stance and hopped back and forth on her feet a few times.

"What purpose did that serve?" I asked.

Her lips quirked upward in a smug smile. "You're going to have to find out," she taunted.

My grin matched hers. "Alright," I lunged forward, going for a strike to the head. She dipped out of the way and retaliated with a quick blow to the gut. I suffered no knock back from it, proceeding to trust my knee upwards into her chest. She took the blow, her breath rushing out of her. I attempted to follow up with another kick, but she had already jumped to the side. Before I had the chance to really react, her leg shot up and met my chest just below my hollow hole.

She retreated further, and for a moment, I saw her lips moving, saying something under her breath. Oh, like hell I was going to let her get out a Kido. Unfortunately, I was a moment too slow to realize what she was doing. "Rokujokoro!" she shouted.

The beams of light slammed into my midsection, thus rendering me immobile. She'd gotten stronger since the last time she'd trapped me with that same spell, and it was going to take somewhat longer to break from it. She approached me, her gaze darkening as that smug smile twisted into a seductive grin. "I'm yours, huh, Arturo?" She shoved my chest, pushing me to the ground. My eyes widened. What did she think she was doing? She kneeled down; her hands grasped my shirt and pulled me towards her face. "That kind of statement goes both ways, in case you weren't aware."

I had not expected her to seek out revenge like this. I should have expected it. She had spent nearly three years pursuing me to avenge her friend, the venture that had resulted in our association in the first place.

To my utter shock, she pulled me in the rest of the way, wrapping one arm behind my head, locking her lips on mine. My eyes narrowed. If this was going to happen, she certainly would not hold the position she was currently holding. I returned the kiss, resulting in a pleased sound from her. I forced my tongue into her mouth just as I managed to shatter the Bakudo that bound me.

Cordelia gasped as she suddenly found herself on the floor, her arms spread out to either side as I held myself over her. The surprised, vaguely frightened look on her face made me grin.

A moment passed before that smug grin returned to her face. "Well, well, Arturo. It seems you've bested me once more," she flirted, lifting her head up off the floor and running her tongue over her lips.

I growled and tugged the neck of her dress aside, immediately attacking her neck. She gasped and squirmed as the tender skin of her neck was suckled. It was a somewhat extreme reaction, in my opinion, especially for her. Her Zanpakuto was still released, I noticed. However, it was of no consequence.

"Oh… This-" she started, but I cut her off.

"Cordelia, shut up," I snarled.

She inhaled, but I could feel the grin on her face. "You actually addressed me by my name," she breathed.

"Yes, I did," I hissed, "I don't want to hear a single word out of your mouth except my name, am I clear?"

Her arms snaked up around my neck, pulling her body upwards. "Crystal," she replied.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** It didn't go exactly how I wanted it to, but in the end I really like it.

And thank you to all the anonymous reviewers. One in particular who said their face was literally getting closer and closer to the screen as they read. That one made my day. I'm glad so many people like Cordelia as a character. :)


	11. Status Quo

**A/N:** First, I would to respond to the anonymous person who is currently my only reviewer.

Meow-cah: I'm glad you love it. Truthfully, your enthusiastic reviews are what drive me to get the next chapter rolling. Due to the kind of stories I write, it's rare that I get more than one review per update. Heck, it's rare that I get reviews at all. I certainly appreciate yours. Hopefully, this chapter will be another screen puller as well, as we are approaching the turning point of this story. Muhahaha.

Okay. Back to the normal author's note. This chapter is going to be a nice wrap up to clarify Cordelia's motives, as well as being the last chapter… what? You think I mean this is the very last chapter? HELL NO. WE ARE HALFWAY THROUGH THIS MOTHERFUCKER. This is the last chapter that takes place in Las Noches. Then… perhaps, I don't know, two or three chapters of flipping weirdness that I've been building up to since the beginning, and then another three, maybe four chapters for awesome action of awesomeness, and then one last epilogue piece to open the way to the… dun dun DUN the sequel.

Also there is a short but necessary time skip in this one.

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PreludeToSadness: Aozora's Story

Chapter Eleven: Status Quo

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

+_Cordelia Tucker+_

. . . . .

On my way to Szayel's laboratory, I always faced the many dangers that idiot had hidden throughout his hallways. Sure, he was a master at setting traps, but there was a point at which it got just a little, oh, I don't know, _obsessive?_ Of course, I could barely count the number of times I'd had to dodge whirling blades or leap over trap doors. It helped keep me in shape. In fact, these hallways would probably give Soifon a run for her money. The obstacles would be simple for me if I had released my Shikai, but that would be too easy.

As I finally reached the entrance, I was out of breath and exhausted. I hadn't exactly gotten much sleep. Hooo boy.

I pushed the sliding door aside and stumbled inside, leaning down with my hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath. "I'm losing my edge," I huffed out with a grin.

Szayel turned away his computer. "I'm not surprised. I added a few new rows of whirling blades yesterday evening," he paused, giving me a funny look.

"What?"

He sniffed, angling his chin upward slightly. Standing, he walked over to me and leaned in, smelling me. "What?" I asked more insistently.

Szayel straightened and laughed. "Your scent is different, as if your reiatsu. Although, the latter is only altered slightly," he mused. "It's been quite a while since I last examined the effects of mating on an individual's reiatsu, and never have I even heard of a Shinigami mating with an Arrancar."

Woah. What? "My reiatsu is different?" I asked incredulously.

He adjusted his glasses. "Yes. While your reiatsu is still obviously yours, there is an underlying layer of Plateado's reiatsu," he made an amused sound, "I must say: I'm impressed. After you were so blatantly rejected the other day, I didn't expect you to get past his stubborn disposition so soon."

I smirked. "You be surprised how persuasive I can be." The sign of my persuasiveness was evident with one word: Soifon. Our on-and-off flings were mainly because of my very submissive and slightly masochistic tendencies, as well as the fact that I really liked heated floors.

Szayel's lips quirked up in a smile. "I don't doubt it, Miss Tucker." He turned back to his computer. After a moment, he called for his assistant, the uncanny Yuukiu.

She arrived punctually. "Yes, father?" she asked.

"I'd like you to take a new sample of Miss Tucker's reiatsu and compare it with the old sample. Write up the results along with a chart," he ordered.

The girl nodded and gestured for me to follow her into an adjoining room. The room was much smaller than the main lab, but the equipment seemed a lot more technologically advanced and compact. "Miss Tucker, please take a seat," she said, her high-pitched voice not really able to get below the voice of a stage whisper.

I sat in the chair that was placed towards the center of the room while she prepared a somewhat familiar device. So… this was the girl that Nnoitra had gone ballistic about? I kind of doubted it. While she did seem like the quiet, loyal type, I had always figured that Nnoitra liked just a little bit of bite in his women. "Your name was Yuukiu, right?" I asked tentatively.

She paused a moment, giving me an odd look. She nodded. "Yes, my name is Yuukiu Victoria Granz. I am the perfected version. My highly flawed predecessor was called Yuukiu, as well. I would very much appreciate it if you would call me Victoria, if only to distinguish between the flawed version and myself." Her tone was hard. I could've sworn I'd seen her fingers shaking whenever she mentioned the 'flawed version'.

"What's so bad about version one? She can't be that bad," I inquired.

Victoria scoffed. "Version one was an incompetent, ill-mannered slut who didn't even know the meaning of the word 'grammar.' Unfortunately, neither father nor Nnoitra-sama sees that I am an obvious improvement from such… trash," the final word came out in a vehement sneer. "Their sentiments have gotten the better of them. I can't stand it." She began scanning me with the reiatsu analyzing device, a scowl painting her face. Well, she was a lot like Szayel, I'd give her that much, but she was a bit too… vicious to be Nnoitra's type.

Somewhat taken aback, I sat quietly as the copy took my reiatsu readings. When she sat down at a nearby desk and began scribbling down the results, a question nagged at me. "What happened to the first version?"

She stopped in her writing. Motionless, she reported without any emotion, "Yuukiu version one-point-oh was taken by the Shinigami Kurotsuchi Mayuri as a sample shortly after the battle that had nearly killed Szayel-sama. Nnoitra-sama was lied to by Szayel-sama, who said she had been gravely injured and was recovering slowly."

"Why am I not surprised?" I never liked him. Now I knew I was a least more than a little justified in my betrayal. When Arturo and I finally return there… freeing the experiments of Kurotsuchi Mayuri would be the next priority target after breaking out Aizen Sousuke. That was the plan, after all. I hadn't really made much attempt to discuss it with Arturo yet. I wanted to meet the magnificent bastard. I really did, if only to call him out on his idiocy in the Deicide arc. That, and nothing would ruffle Seireitei's feathers more than letting their arch enemy loose, and possibly killing a captain or two in the process. But not Kuchiki-taichou or Kira-taichou. The former would be a waste of beautiful, emotionless nobility and the latter would just make me sad. I'm not sure if cared what happened to Ichimaru and Soifon or not. However, Kuchiki Byakuya and Kira Izuru would be granted mercy, because their asses are sexy and I don't want to see them die. Thank god that the Vandenreich didn't exist in this reality.

Of course, all this thought of killing captains felt oddly pretentious. I didn't even know if I had the guts to kill anyone yet. However, now that Arturo and I had become… whatever we are, the status quo had shifted considerably. I needed to hone my skills and steel my will for the upcoming battle. I needed to accept my fate and change as much as possible, fix as many lives as I could, and burn my name across the history books of the future.

The change in the way things were did not alter my reasons for this at all. The entire purpose I was doing such a stupid thing as this remained unchanged. I still felt so old, and while there were many things I had hoped to do before death, such as get married, have kids, publish a manga series… As far as I knew, pursuing those things would be pointless and dumb. I was already dead, as was everyone I had ever known when I was alive; those haunting memories that plagued my dreams and tormented my inner world had to be some manifestation of my guilt.

_I'm sorry for abandoning you guys. Don't worry. I'll come home soon._

Yumekanau Aozora was going to go out with an earth-shattering bang, and Cordelia Tucker was going with her.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Two and a half months later…_

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

Earlier that morning, Ulquiorra had stopped by and said that Starrk had wanted to see me about the battle plan. I was up for it. Waking had uncharacteristically left me in a good mood, as it had been one of the rare mornings that I didn't wake up to an empty bed.

The nightmares had stopped shortly after I had decided to harden my resolve. For that, I was immensely relieved.

I arrived in the Espada meeting room right on time. All the remaining Espada had gathered, Starrk, Harribel, Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, Nnoitra, and Szayel, as well as Moira. Starrk had decided to make use of the seat that used to belong to Aizen, clearly showing that he was in charge. While the Espada were less an organized military force and more a rag-tag band of misfits since the previous ruler had been defeated, their pack-like instincts demanded an alpha, and thus Starrk rose to the occasion. Arturo was seated in what used to be Yammy's seat, leaving a Barragan's old seat next to Szayel vacant. I proceeded to take said seat.

Adjusting my hat, I threw a grin past Szayel over to Moira, who was sitting in Zommari's old seat, next to Grimmjow. She only returned the grin because her face was always like that. She was probably scowling on the inside. "So, what do you want to discuss, Starrk-sama?" I asked. Arturo had been going out and killing Menos with his Zanpakuto released recently. His spiritual power had increased significantly. He'd been a decent match for Yamamoto to start with, but now he was a great match, and that wasn't something to be taken lightly. He was the most powerful Arrancar in Hueco Mundo, and it _showed_. I had received so much more respect, especially from the various un-numbered Arrancar throughout the citadel. Apparently, being the mate of the strongest Arrancar in Hueco Mundo made me the strongest woman in Hueco Mundo, at least in their eyes. I was not someone to fuck with if one valued his or her existence.

The Primera looked at me tiredly. "I think this entire thing is stupid, but if your heart is set on this, we'll give it a try." There was the respect.

I smiled out of habit. "I was thinking about breaking Aizen Sousuke out of Avici."

Everyone, even Arturo looked at me in disbelief. "Are you fucking insane?" Grimmjow snapped.

My hands raised in surrender, "Okay, if you guys aren't comfortable with bringing the bastard back, that's fine. It's not important." That was a blatant lie. I wanted to meet him. Fuck. "Other than that, I want to free the experiments of Kurotsuchi Mayuri, and simply kill as many captains as possible," I paused. "Kira Izuru, Hitsugaya Toushirou, and Kuchiki Byakuya are off-limits. If anyone of you lays a finger on them, so help me…"

A few of them narrowed their eyes at me. I crossed my arms. "There lieutenants are all fair game, though. Except Kira-taichou's lieutenant, because, well, that's me." Unless he'd found a replacement, but I doubted it. Youta and Daichi were probably still insisting on a manhunt.

I clasped my hands in front of me as everyone discussed the game plan. Each and every idea was such a gamble, as none of us knew what was going on in Seireitei currently. I knew everyone, their strengths, and their weaknesses, but the guard schedules and such were unknown to me. We wanted to do this stealthily. Only Arturo and I would be the ones to blatantly attack. The others would remain hidden until we gave the signal.

Knowing who we were up against, I knew that we needed a mole.

"I think I have I solution," I mused, and everyone turned to listen. "Arturo," I said, turning to him.

"Yes?" he acknowledged, and eyebrow raised.

"I think it's about time we left, don't you think?"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** A lot of this I started pulling out of nowhere. I know who I'm killing off, but I didn't know exactly how the assault was going down until now.

And don't worry. I refuse to give Cordelia was she wants. She's not getting it. Except for one thing… muhahaha.

I hope you enjoyed! Please review! Even if it's just some random comment! Okay, do you want to know why I value reviews so much? Because, the more reviews a story has, the more likely a person browsing randomly will click on it. Thus, which each of your reviews, the more likely the story is to get even more.

I'm not begging. Just… please? :D


	12. Return

**A/N:** Nothing of the previous chapter was un-eluded to. Cordelia's true intentions were stated somewhat vaguely in chapter six.

I have a policy. If someone reviews one of my stories, I do my best return the favor if possible. Now, if someone like Sariniste or Spunky0ne for some reason decided to review one of my stories, I'd turn into a puddle of primordial goop so I'd be unable to use the keyboard. Also, I've reviewed a lot of their stories so… yeah. I just find that that's the best way to thank someone.

Now… some fun. Now… the most important plot point that I have been building up to since… chapter four.

Since entire story is one huge experiment for me. I wanted to see if something was within my ability to do. If the revelation at the end of this comes as a surprise to you, then… I have succeeded.

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PreludeToSadness: Aozora's Story

Chapter Twelve: Return

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_+Chikafuki Youta+_

. . . . . .

I sat at my desk – well, Yumekanau-fukutaichou's desk – and scribbled my signature on sheet after sheet of paperwork. Yumekanau hadn't exactly been on top of things when she had disappeared, and catching up on her work just to get started on the new stuff had taken a few days.

Smiling, I thought back on the days after she first joined the squad. A brilliant actress, she'd managed to weasel her way out of almost every single chore presented to her. She wasn't quite as lazy as Matsumoto-fukutaichou and she didn't get away with her schemes as often.

A breeze entered through the open window, rustling a few sheets of paper but otherwise not moving them. A Hell Butterfly followed the wind, ringing quietly by my ear. I frowned and lifted a finger to let it land.

"_Fourth Seat Chikafuki Youta,"_ it sounded like Soifon-taichou's voice, "_Our scanners have detected a foreign Arrancar reiatsu signature in the vicinity of the fifty-sixth district of west Rukongai. In addition, we are picking up a signature that has a ninety-four percent match to Yumekanau Aozora-fukutaichou's reiatsu. Report to the Second Division's main offices immediately. You are hereby given permission to bring your Zanpakuto."_

I sat there for a moment. It had been nearly three months since Yumekanau had gone missing, and finally…

As I ran to my quarters, I stumbled into various comrades that gave out varying forms of protest. When I reached my room, I jumped over the back of the sofa and reached for the rack on the opposite wall. The moment my hands grasped around my Zanpakuto, I flash stepped out the window and towards the Second division. It was early in the morning and I doubted that many people would be awake to see my departure.

When I entered Soifon-taichou's office, I was greeted by a vaguely startled look on her Lieutenant's face.

Before Omaeda could say anything, Soifon sauntered in, tying one of the gold rings on the end of her braid. "Chikafuji-san," she nodded. She obviously had recently waked.

"It's 'Chikafuki', Soifon-taichou," I corrected respectfully.

She waved a hand dismissively. "Did you bring Ichimaru, as well?"

"No, ma'am."

"Good. I don't like him. Besides, I don't trust him not to interfere with my orders," she elaborated with a scowl.

I tilted my head in confusion. "Your orders, taichou?" I looked around, seeing that she hadn't asked for Kira-taichou to come, either, nor had she commanded for Harada-san.

Soifon sent me a glare. "I only called for you because you're level-headed and you follow orders well. Otherwise I wouldn't have ordered you to come at all," she strapped Suzumebachi in its place at the small of her back. "Due to the nature of Yumekanau Aozora-fukutaichou's disappearance, we must proceed with caution. Yumekanau is an acquaintance of mine, so I am giving her the benefit of the doubt, but if we receive any resistance from her," Soifon paused and looked at me with a level gaze, "Any at all, she is to be treated as a traitor."

. . . . . . . . . .

_Cordelia Tucker_

. . . . . . . . . .

I paced the clearing as I tried to concoct a believable scenario. Arturo leaned patiently against a nearby tree.

"They will be here soon," he stated, "If I were you, I'd start thinking fast."

I sighed and rubbed my temples. "Okay. I've got an idea. You just need to act exactly as you did when I first showed up at the waterfall. In fact, forget the past three months and be the person you were at the waterfall." We needed to act convincing about this.

He eyed me curiously. "You are implying that I've changed since then."

"Then this should be easy for you," I deadpanned. I shook my head, cleared my thoughts, and focused. They were near. I kneeled and scooped up some mud on my fingers, rubbing it on my arms, face, and a bit in my hair. I needed to look like I hadn't bathed well this entire time. I took a deep breath and turned to Arturo, looking down at my feet. "I hope you are as sneaky and manipulative as I am." I could feel his eyes on me. "I've never actually gone for a lie this big before. It's always been petty things due to my forgetfulness…" I shook my head again. "I don't know how long it will be until I see you again."

I didn't even know if I would see him again at all, in fact. If this failed… well, then so be it. I win either way. I sighed. "Suppress your reiatsu a bit. Soifon is strong but you're immensely stronger. We need her to think otherwise if we're going to pull this off."

. . . . . . . . . .

_Chikafuki Youta_

. . . . . . . . . .

Keeping up with Soifon was not an easy task. The only people who could match her speed were Shihoin Yoruichi and Kuchiki Byakuya. I wasn't exactly known for speed. Heck, Aozora-fukutaichou was faster than I was.

As we flash-stepped towards the last place Yumekanau's reiatsu had been sensed, I couldn't shake the feeling of apprehension that washed over me. Something was wrong. I didn't what, but something… this was weird. I didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, though. If Aozora-san was back, I should be happy.

The closer we got to our destination, the more I began to feel her Reiatsu. It was distressed, panicked. Soifon and I broke through into the small clearing. At the center, a single Arrancar stood, a familiar Zanpakuto in his hand pointed down at the Soul Reaper at his feet. Yumekanau was on the ground, covered in dirt and grime. Her eyes shot to look me in the eye the moment Soifon and I entered the clearing. The Arrancar turned, not paying much attention to me at all, but rather he was eying Soifon warily.

"Soifon!" she exclaimed, obviously hopeful. Her omission of an honorary was odd.

He took a step away from Yumekanau, his gaze still locked on Soifon. "A captain," he said. I noted the particular accent. "How interesting…" I also noted that while he was considerably stronger than Yumekanau, Soifon's reiatsu was more than a match.

Soifon didn't hesitate in releasing Suzumebachi. She shot forward and before I could register what was going on, two Homonka crests had appeared on the Arrancar's chest. "I'm impressed that you could dodge that," Soifon snipped.

The Arrancar Sonido'd back to the far side of the clearing, a Garganta opening behind him. The portal closed moments before Soifon reached him, leaving Yumekanau's Zanpakuto behind him as if it were trash. "Coward!" she snarled.

I ran over to the collapsed Lieutenant. "Yumekanau-fukutaichou!" I shouted.

She pushed herself up on her elbows. "Chikafuki-san?" she asked. I held out a hand to help her up. She grasped it and I pulled her too her feet.

Soifon trotted towards us. "Yumekanau Aozora-fukutaichou," she greeted, "Your conduct has been unsatisfactory. I expected much better of you," she said stiffly.

Aozora laughed lightly. "Should I expect some sort of punishment, captain?" she said um, suggestively? … Was that supposed to be a joke?

The captain raised an eyebrow. "You're still thinking about _that_? In your condition?" she asked bewildered.

"Would you expect anything less?"

Soifon huffed. "I suppose not." Her eyes ran over Yumekanau's body, presumably looking for any injuries. "Are you injured?" she inquired forcibly.

She shook her head. "Nah. My reiatsu is in pretty bad condition, though."

I had to blink several times when Soifon ducked down and hefted the Lieutenant over one shoulder. "Chirafuki-san," Soifon said as Aozora blushed a bit. "You better keep up this time."

"It's Chikafuji- ugh! Chikafuki," I stuttered as I Flash Stepped after them.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

_Cordelia Tucker_

. . . . . . . . . . . .

After a tear-filled reunion with my division and a shower, I rested in my room. It felt so foreign. I'd spent so much time in this room just two and a half months ago, but it felt like I'd been away for a lifetime.

I made a cup of green onion miso and curled up on the couch with a blanket. I loved miso. I hadn't been a big fan of the seaweed in it in the past, but now the familiar taste was divine, especially when combined with the simply delicious green onion. Delicious and nutritious.

A knock came at the door, and I yelled for whoever it was to come in.

"Hello, Aozora-chan," Gin said as he sat down in the chair opposite the couch.

I smiled. "Ichimaru-kun. Hello. It's been a while."

He nodded. "Indeed, it has," he paused thoughtfully. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Frowning, I traced the rim of the cup with one finger. "No. Nothing happened. I was just taken to Hueco Mundo. I ended up getting away and I hid out in the forest for an eternity. I didn't have my Zanpakuto so I had to rely on my other skills." The lies slipped past my lips like silk. I was getting good at this. I allowed myself to smile internally. This was going to be so easy-

Ichimaru's eyes snapped opened just barely, revealing their light blue color. "Lair," he observed incredulously. "You're lying."

I panicked, setting down the miso and looking around the room frantically. No one could know. No one. Ichimaru knowing was one situation, but anyone else… I stared at him in horror. Of course, along with Aizen, Ichimaru Gin was a master at deception. I was so fucking screwed. "I… Gin…" I struggled for a response.

He continued. "There's only a few reasons you'd be lying about somethin' like that."

I remained silent, a nervous wreck inside. My muscles tensed up and I began to feel sick to my stomach. The stress was almost painful. No. No way would I let myself fail this soon.

Ichimaru's eyes closed, but the smile was wiped from his face. "Traitor."

That one word did it. It echoed through my mind, each time coming from someone else's mouth. Youta… 'Traitor'… Izuru… 'traitor'… Soifon… 'traitor'… everyone. I gagged, beginning to dry heave. Ignoring Gin, I ran into the bathroom and promptly emptied my stomach. Dammit. I thought Szayel was supposed to have stopped this crap.

Curled up on the floor, I heard Ichimaru approach. "Zora-chan?" he asked.

I coughed. "Get out."

"Hm?"

"_Leave, god dammit!_" I shouted, the trace amounts of Hollow reiatsu in my system flaring up with my own as I shut the bathroom door. "Tell anyone and…" I paused. "Could Soifon tell?" I asked quietly through the door, my mood swinging once more from anger into panic.

"Eh… not likely. Maybe if she were looking for and expecting it," he shrugged. "The Hollow reiatsu is intriguing, though."

"I don't have to tell you anything," I snapped.

He was quiet for a moment. "Just one question."

"What?"

"That Arrancar you were found with…?" he began, the question speaking for itself.

I tugged on my hair. "Arturo Plateado. And yes. Fraternization is the nature of my treason." The word 'treason' made me want to throw up again. It was true, at least. Now I wasn't lying, only giving half of the truth.

"Really? The Arrancar who killed Sachirou?"

Tracing little patterns on the tile, I replied, "That was a long time ago."

"Oh?"

I was tired, and I was hungry. I wanted more miso, and then I wanted to sleep. "Gin. I want to be alone right now," I said.

After a moment, he said, "Fine. Good night, Yumekanau-fukutaichou."

"Good night, Ichimaru," I replied, and he left.

I remained right there in the bathroom for several minutes. Eventually, the discomfort of the position gave me the motivation to get up. I did so, pulling myself up with the assistance of the counter, only to be hit with a wave of vertigo. Catching myself, I silently analyzed the evening's events. My panic had been excusable, but that one weird swing had been just that: weird. The indigestion, no matter how stressed I had become, also should've been prevented by Szayel's serum. Before that, even, I _despised_ seaweed, and yet here I wanted to drink an entire cup of miso without taking out the big pieces.

… Oh. _Oh. _

Turning sideways and looking in the mirror, I literally contemplated my navel. I turned different directions and looked at it from multiple angles. Not trusting the mirror, I dropped to my knees and pulled up my shirt. I gave the obvious bump a gentle touch, just to be sure it wasn't fat or, like, sudden marvelous abs. It wasn't.

Oh.

Suddenly, the status quo shifted once more. I was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. One of my three greatest aspirations was suddenly proven possible. I wanted it.

Without a doubt… death was no longer an option. My mouth was wide with a smile as tears ran down my face.

I stood and gripped the edge of the counter, looking at my face in the mirror, a new determination in my eyes.

I wanted to live.

_You pretentious bitch._

I gasped, clamping my head with my hands.

_Selfish!_

What...

_You'd abandon us again, you bitch!_

_You promised!_

_Pretentious, self-righteous bitch._

As the nightmares came back, I didn't get much sleep at all that night.

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**A/N:** If you only caught on a few paragraphs prior, I still succeed.

There is this thing called "Chekov's Gun." It a TV Trope. It's a basic concept. If something is not important, it will not be mentioned. Szayel said that the serum wouldn't help with morning sickness. Her digestive problems were my way of disguising the initial sickness, there. I really have made little, tiny allusions to the possibility throughout this story. Heck, the two and a half month time skip was a hint.

My experiment was this: Have a character become pregnant without anyone realizing that it's going to happen, without it being an ass pull, and with sufficient foreshadowing.

Now my question to you: Did I succeed?


	13. Excuse Me

**A/N:** So, I was writing one of my other stories (Creatures of Myth: Sunlit Summons), and I realized that there was something I needed to establish before we reached endgame territory.

I love the positive responses I got to the last chapter. (I love you. I love all of you)

Also, I have been rendered nearly unable to function mentally due to a wonderful Harry Potter fic series I've been reading named the Arc of Sacrifices series. Just… all my feels right now. All of them.

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PreludeToSadness: Aozora's Story

Chapter Thirteen: Excuse Me, But Who Are You?

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I slammed the stack of papers on Kira-taichou's desk, the sudden interruption of his work making him jump. He looked up at me blankly, which I returned with a steady gaze. He shifted slightly and moved to inspect the offending packet of forms.

After a moment, Izuru looked up at me curiously. "These are vacation request forms," he stated.

I gave a curt nod. "It took all morning to fill it all out, but I did it." I needed to get out of Seireitei – No, Soul Society – before anyone could find out about my condition.

Kira lifted one hand in an indifferent gesture. "These are going to take a few days to get through the system," he said, flipping a through the packet. He stopped a few pages in. "Yumekanau, 'recent traumatizing experience'?" He sighed and pushed his hair back. "Where do you plan to stay?" he asked finally.

"I want to go to the World of the Living. Karakura. Kurotsuchi-taichou has had a Gigai made for me a while now, and I'll ask Urahara Kisuke about getting a place to stay," I paused, "But regardless, I want to go to Karakura."

He raised an eyebrow. "Any reason why?"

Pursing my lips, I pulled out a believable reason. "I need to just feel… human, I guess," which wasn't completely a lie.

Izuru gave me the weirdest look. He hesitantly answered, "Okay."

"Oh," I pulled another form out of my Shihakusho. "Also, I wish to go immediately in order to make arrangements." I handed the paper to Kira, and after quickly looking it over, he signed it and sent me on my way.

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I exited the Dangai into the basement of Urahara's shop. They had sent someone ahead of me to inform him of my imminent arrival, so he was waiting for me.

The shopkeeper smiled. "Yumekanau Aozora-san, I presume?"

A grin spread unrestricted across my face. "Yes, that's me. It's wonderful to meeting you, Urahara-san."

We exchanged greetings, and quickly proceeded upstairs to the main store. I sat down at the low table, followed shortly by Urahara sitting across from me. "Ara, Yumekanau-chan, what can this humble shopkeeper do for you?"

I hesitated, thinking of a good way to form the question. "Do you know what happened with the Kurosaki family, Inoue Orihime, and just… that whole group of people?" I asked.

After a moment, Urahara's fan snapped shut. "Excuse me for asking, Yumekanau-san, but what is your business with them?" he inquired suspiciously.

I took a deep breath. I had lived in Soul Society for a few decades, and never once had I met the main characters. It was just… bucket list. Even with my newfound reason to live on, I needed to insure that I had nothing left on said bucket list in case something went too awry. If worse comes to worst, then I'd just follow the original plan. "I want to meet them," I said with fake sheepishness, "I guess you could call me a bit of a fanatic." I made my eyes lit up, but it wasn't as much of an act as one would think. I was actually a huge fan. "I've heard stories, but I've never met the great Kurosaki Ichigo in person."

The shopkeeper laughed, but soon calmed down and leaned in. "If you're looking to go after him, I'm afraid he's married," Urahara snickered.

Immediately, that comment made me both panic and become elated at the same time. This… was serious business. "What?!" I exclaimed, "To whom? When?" I didn't have anything against any pair that included Ichigo. Ichigo and Rukia, Ichigo and Orihime, Ichigo and Grimmjow… they were all the same to me, and I would be content with any of them, but there was one ship… my 'one true pairing'… I could only hope…

"Kurosaki Ichigo and Tatsuki will be celebrating their eighteenth anniversary this year," he replied, startled by my sudden enthusiasm.

"YES!" I cheered, thrusting my fists into the air just as my stomach growled embarrassingly.

Urahara noticed and graciously offered to prepare some food, which I accepted. When he came back with two bowls of ramen, he shocked me by asking the one thing I wished he hadn't asked. "I apologize, Yumekanau-san, but I've been analyzing your reiatsu since you arrived, and are you aware that you are pregnant?"

I stopped mid-noodle slurp. How to react to that, I wondered. After a second of careful consideration, I finished slurping my noodles, and nodded. "Yes, Urahara-san, and there is something unique about this," I said cryptically.

"Oh?" he prompted, his curious nature working quite obviously to my favor.

Slurping some more noodles, I noticed that it wasn't really filling me up. Disregarding it, I elaborated. "You say you've been analyzing my reiatsu. Can you feel it?" I asked, referring to the touch of Hollow in my reiatsu, now somewhat strengthened by my condition.

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I felt the Hollow reiatsu, but I am still unsure as to why it's there." He paused, "I've come up with a few theories," he admitted.

"And…?" I prompted. I wasn't going to say it outright. I'd feel less like an idiot that way.

Urahara leaned back in a contemplating pose. "Hm. Well, I considered that you could possibly be a Vizored, oddly enough, but that would be implausible seeing as the Hougyoku is in Mugen with Aizen and that the amount of Hollow reiatsu doesn't reach nearly high enough, nor is it actually part of your reiatsu. It sits just below the surface as if it was put there by some outside means. I have seen a similar phenomenon in mated Hollows, but you, miss, are not a Hollow," he paused, "Which brings me to the only logical conclusion that the father of your child is." He exhaled and folded his hands in front of his mouth. "I've never heard of such a thing before."

"No such thing as 'no such thing,'" I blurted. I was sure I was quoting… something.

"Yes, perhaps you're right," he said off-handedly. After a moment, he lightly shook his head. "Does anyone in Soul Society know?" he asked.

"About my condition? Hell fucking no," I gave a sarcastic snicker, "I'd be handed off to Kurotsuchi within seconds. However, Ichimaru Gin knows about Arturo," I said, without immediately realizing that I let too much slip.

Kisuke gave me a look. "Arturo Plateado?"

I let out an exasperated sigh. "Look, do you want to examine the kid when he or she is born, or not? You know, for science and crap." It wasn't as if I'd let him experiment on it, but I'd allow him to collect data he could get non-invasively.

He looked at me blankly for a minute before he put his carefree mask on once more, and I knew we had a deal. "Iya, so," he pulled out a small, brochure map of Karakura town and took out a pen. "Ichigo and Tatsuki-san live in a house here, where they run a clinic of their own; Inoue and Ishida have an apartment here, and Sado Yasutora has an apartment in the opposite building."

Taking the map, I looked it over and nodded. I knew approximately where Urahara's store was located, so I could probably figure this out pretty quickly. I finished off my noodles and thanked Urahara for his hospitality before I left for my first stop.

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In my Gigai, it was taking an unexpectedly long time to get from Urahara Shoten to the new Kurosaki Clinic, and the hunger from before had yet to cease. It didn't feel like a normal kind of hunger, though. It was like exhaustion, an emptiness. It was starting to get to me, and the ambient reiatsu in the air seemed to fuel the hole.

The moment I felt even an inkling of Reiatsu nearby, I started salivating. I had an idea what was happening. I had a very good idea of what my body wanted to eat. It wasn't something I particularly wanted to do.

"Hey miss?"

I turned to see a little girl peeking out from the alleyway between apartment buildings, a chain of fate hanging from her chest. The hunger flared, and it was everything I could do to resist making a child into my lunch. Oh, god, that sounded wretched. "Y-yes?" I managed to get out.

She looked up at me with but doe-eyes. "Are you one of those Soul Reaper people?"

I nodded.

The girl smiled in elation. "Can you send me off to where my mommy and sister are? Pretty please?"

Even the chewing hunger pains couldn't stop the grin from lighting my face. "Of course, but I can't guarantee that you'll be anywhere near your family. It's likely that you'll start a new one, with new people."

Her face fell a little. "Oh, okay. I really just want to be away from the monsters."

Thank god that I had the control not to become one of this girl's monsters. I materialized my Zanpakuto and preformed a Konso before I lost that control. After the girl was safely gone, I ran as fast as I could towards the Kurosaki house, my hands clasped over my belly as if I could contain the gnawing hunger with them.

It was midday when I entered the new Kurosaki Clinic. I went up to the desk where a woman that looked like a grown-up Yuzu was shuffling documents. Her reiatsu seemed delicious, but I willed myself to hold back. "Kurosaki Yuzu?" I asked.

The girl looked up and smiled. "Yes, that's me. Can I help you?"

"Where's your brother?" I asked. "I'm a Shinigami and I need to ask a favor."

Yuzu blinked. "Excuse me, but who are you?"

"Corde- dammit! Yumekanau Aozora, Lieutenant of the Third Division. I need to see your brother," I asked more urgently this time.

"Do you have an appointment?" she asked innocently.

"You know, I think I'll go look for him myself," I said, feeling the massive amount of Reiatsu just flowing from further in the house.

"Suit yourself," Yuzu called after me before going back to her files.

Ignoring her, I entered the kitchen, seeing Tatsuki washing dishes while an adorable little boy helped by drying them. She noticed me and seemed torn between attacking the sudden intruder and inquiring about reasons. "Hello. Tatsuki-san," I said, putting a strained smile on my face, only for it to fall right off when a thought occurred to me. "Oh, shoot… quick! Did Ichigo get his powers back in this universe?" I demanded.

"Um, yes..." She put her hands on her hips. "Excuse me, but who are you?"

"No time for that!" I exclaimed. "I have an issue that…" I paused, feeling the heavy amount of Hollow reiatsu that she generated. Tatsuki was a Vizored here. I pursed my lips, "Actually, you could help me, but if we ran into anything big you'd probably get hurt," I shook my head. "Where's Ichi-"

An unimaginably large source of Reiatsu stepped into the room. "Excuse me, but who are you?"

I whirled, seeing Kurosaki Ichigo half glaring at me while holding an infant in his arms. I let out a relieved sigh. "My name is Yumekanau Aozora. I'm the Lieutenant of the Third Division. Look, you don't know me, but I need to ask a huge favor. Actually, I need several huge favors."

He handed the baby to Tatsuki. "Just calm down, okay, Aozora-san?" he said with the hint of a smile.

Taking a deep breath, I attempted to calm the hell down. It worked on a cosmetic scale, because I looked calm on the outside, but on the inside, I still felt like a hole was forming through my stomach. "I need you to take me to Hueco Mundo," I said.

I received several blank stares for my trouble, and I sighed, continuing. "I'm having a bit of an issue, and I need to find someone and tell him," I huffed. "Look, I'll tell you everything on the way, just… I don't want to hurt anyone unnecessarily."

Tatsuki inhaled deeply, handing the baby to the little eight-year old, who unexpectedly was perfectly capable of carrying the little girl out of the room. The pair exchanged glances, and it was obvious that much had happened to them since the Winter War. They were adults, more so than I'd ever imagined them to be. Ichigo hadn't actually changed much except for a few minor wrinkles, but Tatsuki finally looked like a woman. I did some mental math, and assuming that they'd both been sixteen at the time of the Winter War, so that meant they were forty-five. I had lived in Soul Society for twenty-four years, which meant that I was a little older than they were, and yet I looked and felt like I was still in my twenties.

Ichigo shrugged. "I was planning to go check on Nel soon, anyways. Why not?"

I sighed in relief. "Thank you," I said, relaxing ever so slightly. However, the moment I relaxed my hold on my spirit energy, it lashed out, going straight for Ichigo. My vision began to spin as, out of my control, my spirit energy began to siphon from Ichigo. I heard several panicked shouts, but I couldn't tell whom they came from, and I couldn't care less. The gnawing hunger faded and I drifted off to sleep.

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**A/N:** Um this arc is going to last a bit longer than I thought it would. Also, I take back what I said. With school approaching rapidly, I will have this done by DECEMBER. Not the end of August. Oops.


	14. Rakukantekina Kyōkan

**A/N:** This is the chapter where we begin to make the inevitable shift. Like Arturo, you've been looking through Cordelia's rose-colored lenses… It's time for you to see the truth of things. Also, this is a re-write. This chapter started out with a completely different structure and I ended up shifting it around a lot and adding new things.

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Tale of a Traitor

Chapter Fourteen: Rakukantekina Kyōkan

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Something changed when Cordelia left, and I realized something. The entire time the two of us had been in Las Noches, I had mostly relied on her interpretations of these people, their motives and their drives. With Cordelia's way of seeing things, we had allies, _friends_, as she called them. However, once she left Las Noches, the rose-colored lenses she'd placed over my eyes lifted.

Without Cordelia, the entire atmosphere shifted. That permeating sense of home and belonging that followed her faded and the cold, harsh reality returned. Resentment came with every glare, but I still was stronger than they were. They could do nothing to get rid of me, or overthrow me from my informal place of power.

It had been a fool's mission, anyways, a pointless one that even I had begun to question. No, it wasn't a fool's mission… it was the plan of a madwoman. The Espada had every reason to be suspicious of us, of her. They had no intention of assisting her. They probably only went along with her plan so they could dump her in Seireitei and forget about her. After her suggestion to break out Aizen Sousuke, any support she had among them had gone and she became just another power-hungry Shinigami to them. Even Szayel, whom she had been fairly close with, reacted with distrust and disdain. Desmarias and even Magdalena seemed no longer to want anything to do with her. They had washed their hands of her, and had no plans to see her ever again.

However, without their support and loyalty, I knew it was unlikely that I'd be able to get her _back_.

That was why I decided to corner Coyote Starrk. "I do not appreciate this, Starrk," I hissed.

The former Espada crossed his arms. "You're the one who brought her here. Something's not right with her. We won't support a madwoman."

My hand went immediately to my Zanpakuto. "So you're betraying her? Is that how it is?"

Starrk's eyes narrowed. "Pardon me if I have issues trusting another insane Soul Reaper, really, Plateado."

Anger hit me, and it hit me harder than it has in months. Fine, then, if they would not assist me, then I'd… I'd… Whatever had come over me, I'd indulge it and fulfill it. If I killed every single one of them then perhaps I'd be strong enough to get her back on my own. "Perhaps it is not the Soul Reaper you should be afraid of," I retorted as I pulled out my Zanpakuto.

The Primera didn't go for his, but rather lifted his hands in an attempt to placate me. "Settle down," he said, "Whatever was affecting us must still be affecting you. Calm down and wait a while before doing anything rash."

He had a reasonable argument, but I wasn't listening to reason.

I don't remember the ensuing fights very well. Starrk had been right, there was something affecting me, but of course, I didn't care. I didn't manage to kill anyone, because more had arrived to help Starrk and it took a fully released Ulquiorra and a particularly pissed-off Halibel to detain me and throw me out into the sands, injured and bleeding. They wouldn't be able to kill me, not with their limited amount of firepower. All they could do was get rid of me.

Once I picked myself up, I knew I would no longer be welcome in Las Noches. I walked, I walked through the desert until I had come near collapse. I walked until I did collapse, my own blood staining the sands beneath me and I wondered why I would've done the things I did. Why attack them for such a reason that should've been discussed instead of fought out?

They mentioned an effect. Did Cordelia have some power she'd been keeping from me? What hadn't she ever told me about?

She'd once mentioned a Bankai.

I never knew what it did.

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I ran, catching up to Captain Kira. "Sir, pardon my manner of speech, but are you insane?" I exclaimed, nearing complete panic.

The captain, who had been conversing with Soifon-taichou, stopped and gave me a strange look. "Are you referring to my decision to allow Lieutenant Yumekanau her temporary leave?" he asked, his expression blank.

"Yes," I said, "She should be here, where she's safe!"

Kira-taichou exchanged an uneasy look with Soifon. "Chikafuki-san, there's something you don't know."

… What? I looked between the two of them, not understanding what he meant.

Soifon sighed and shifted her weight to one foot. "It's good for all of us that she be absent for an undetermined amount of time," she informed him, "With her gone, we can assess the conditions of her disappearance without bias and judge whether or not a trial is necessary."

I blinked. "I don't understand. Couldn't you do that even if she was here? This makes no sense!"

Soifon took in a deep breath. "I'm not authorized to explain it to you further," she said, and turned to walk away.

Izuru grabbed her shoulder. "Soifon. The boy deserves to know."

The woman glared at him, and the captain held her gaze for a good moment before she turned and looked back to me. "Any emotion you have or need to protect or care for Yumekanau Aozora is false. Wipe it from your mind completely."

I froze. Her words hit something, a barrier of warmth that suddenly went ice cold. "Are you lying to me? Is that it? Do you want her all to yourself?"

… Wait. What had I just said?

Soifon's eyes widened and she grabbed my shoulders, seemingly ready to shake me. "What if I do?" she shouted, her voice harsh and I was sure she was ready to rip out my guts, but I almost wanted to do the same to her.

Izuru didn't waste a moment. He took a step forward and slapped her, the resounding clap sounded across the courtyard. Soifon rubbed her cheek and looked at him in shock, until the expression faded into veiled embarrassment. She cleared her throat. "Yumekanau Aozora's Bankai is a unique one that we have no record of other than her. Once she achieved it, it remained active. Sure, she could seal it and she could return her sword to its normal state, but the effects of it would still linger," she looked off to the side. "I learned that the hard way."

"What does it do?" I asked.

Kira crossed his arms as well. "Her Bankai's name is Rakukantekina Kyōkan, or 'Optimistic Empathy.' It's a defensive, passive ability that has similarities with Kanzen Saimin. It affects the minds of those surrounding her and makes them sensitive to her emotions and her thoughts, inverse what her Shikai ability does, which is to make her hypersensitive to her surroundings," he explained, "Unfortunately, ever since she achieved it, we've had to keep her under close watch. We entrusted her to Ichimaru Gin, who has experience with dangerous mind-controllers. From his reports, it appears that her Rakukantekina Kyōkan also had an effect on her, making her oblivious to problems around her and negative emotions towards her. He hasn't been much more help than that, seeing as he's been given permission to withhold as much information as he pleases," he scoffed, "As you can probably tell, that such a volatile individual spent so much time around an Arrancar is distressing."

I was silent for a long moment. "… I can't… What exactly are you saying?"

"I'm saying she's… mentally unwell. Not quite insane, but mentally unwell. It's likely that her encounter with the Arrancar may have pushed her over the edge."

"Kira, Soifon, hello," came a familiar, somewhat mocking voice. "I have some news."

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_I felt cold, colder than ever before when I was in my inner world. The tall stalks of savannah grass wilted, the skies overcast with a threatening grey that did not prelude rain, but merely the absence of sun. I dug my hands into the hard, dried and cracking ground. I listened for the hostile voices of the ghosts of past, waited for them to begin hurling insults, to pull at my hair, to drag me through painful darkness, but instead a pair of warm, welcoming arms cradled my head, arms that I immediately recognized and nuzzled into._

_The soft purr of my Zanpakuto's laughter did not feel particularly comforting, but somehow it managed to warm me to the core. "You do not need to worry about them anymore, Cordelia, I have them under tight lock and key and as long as you have me, you'll be safe from them," the humanoid form of Akatora reassured, gently rocking my head back and forth._

_Opening my eyes, I looked up into her eyes, her sharp, deep pools of orange that begged one's attention… but I startled a bit at the black seeping into the whites of her eyes, the gold that crept into the amber. "Why… do you look hollowified?"_

_Her eyes remained unchanged as she pulled me up into her lap and continued to cradle me like a child. Her hands sunk to my navel and she rubbed at it gently. "It's this one's influence. It's strong. Its hollow nature is spreading through me and you like a cancer…" she leaned down over my shoulder and purred. "It will be more like its father than it will be like us… What do you think it will be like, Cordelia?" Akatora prompted. "Will it have a hole where its heart should be?" she mused, running a clawed finger over my clavicle. "Will it have a mask over its face?" she ran her fingers through my hair. "Hm?"_

"_No…" I said after a long moment, "I think it will be some sort of mixture of Shinigami and Arrancar…" there was already a mix between Shinigami and Hollow, and those were Vizards. "Maybe it will just be a Vizard."_

"_Perrrhaps," Akatora giggled, squeezing me in a hug. "I hope everyone will love it just like everyone loves us…" she squealed. "What I wouldn't do to make sure it had my protection…"_

_I opened my mouth to speak._

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My eyes shot open, and I groaned before closing them again to the midday sun. I felt… full. Sated. But lonely.

Carefully, I shifted my legs off of the cot I'd been placed on, the cry of protest from the springs of the mattress bringing me further into alertness as I stood and stumbled over to the doorway, my bare, calloused feet patting against the smooth hardwood floor. Still feeling dazed, I managed to gather that I was still in the Kurosaki Clinic. I'd have to apologize for the trouble I'd caused…

"Ah, Yumekanau-san, you're awake. You slept for almost an entire twenty-four hours, you know."

I jumped at the sound of Urahara's voice. "W-What are you doing here?" I asked nervously, turning to see him sitting in a rolling doctor's chair.

He clicked his tongue. "I got your full file from Soul Society a few hours ago and had the Kurosaki family leave for a while," he glanced up from beneath his hat and I felt a chill, "Away from your influence, Yumekanau-fukutaichou."

Unconsciously, I took a step back. "Ah…" I uttered, in a bit of shock. "Are you referring to… my ability?"

Urahara nodded. "To some extent, yes," he folded his hands beneath his chin. "I wanted to feel its pull for myself, now that I know it exists."

I remained silent, trying to read the situation. What did he want? Was this just in the pursuit of knowledge, still, or was it more than that? "What are you going to do?" I asked finally.

He tapped a pen against a clipboard. "I want you to answer some questions for me. You left some holes in this… web of lies you've caught Soul Society in, but I want the truth from you."

I tensed, bulking from the insinuations of what he was saying. "… Fine," I conceded.

Urahara clapped his hands together cheerfully. "Good. For starters, and let's face it, I've never heard a more obvious alias in my life," he said, "What's your real name?"

I resisted the urge to growl at him. "Damn you… It's Cordelia Tucker."

He clicked his tongue. "That sounds western. How western are we talking, Miss Tucker?" he asked.

A sigh escaped my mouth. "East coast United States."

"Uh-huh… And as for that child of yours," he began, absently pointing the pen in my direction without looking up, "How exactly was it conceived?"

"…?" I blinked. "… I had sex…?" Did he want me to give him a play-by-play or something? I should make a documentary. 'The Sex Life of Cordelia Tucker: My Experiences with a Territorial Arrancar,' I would call it, and with the number of nosy perverts who seemed to be interested, I was sure it would be a hit.

He shook his head. "No, no. I'm referring to the consent in the act," he clarified.

It clicked. "Oh! No, yeah, it was completely consensual!" I nearly shouted.

"Would you like to give me your reasoning, then, as to why you would consensually fraternize with the enemy?"

"Um…" I struggled for the answer to that, wondering how even to answer a question like that. "… At the time, I was bored. It's really boring in Las Noches, you know? And I'm not exactly the most chaste of persons, so I guess… I just sort of went for him?" I answered reluctantly.

Urahara raised an eyebrow. "You don't have any feelings for him?"

"I…"


	15. Reunion

A/N: Due to the fact that separating this story into two actual stories like I previously intended will detract from the flow of the story, I will be keeping Tale of a Traitor as one big story after the big time skip. So, 'PreludeToSadness' and 'OvertureToFury' will both be condensed into Tale of a Traitor. However, this means that were are nowhere near the end of the story. Remember when I said we were at the halfway mark? The real halfway mark will be the big time skip.

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Tale of a Traitor

Chapter Fifteen: Reunion

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Still unable to utilize high speed movement like Sonido, I had to deal with being carried. Of course, Ichigo didn't carry me like Arturo carried me. Even before we'd gotten together, Arturo carried me like a bride. Ichigo, on the other hand, carried me like a sack of potatoes. However, I wasn't complaining. I was lucky I'd even convinced the Kurosaki family to help me. Urahara had helped with some of the explanation, and Ichigo himself had taken the whole thing easily, but he hadn't gotten the whole story at all. Cordelia and Urahara had agreed that the story was that she'd had a lover in Hueco Mundo and wanted to tell him she was okay. Okay, not a lie, but not the full truth.

While I was at the Kurosaki house, I had met all of the Kurosaki children, two of them at that point, with a third on the way. The boy's name was Tetsuya, and the girl was Rie. It turned out that Tatsuki was just about as far along as I was, as much as I could tell, but she said her current pregnancy was different from the others, and Ichigo thought so as well. Perhaps it was the pollution getting to her, but the pregnancy itself was a bit rocky and both of them said they were emotionally prepared for a miscarriage if there was one.

The deal was that we were going to check on his friend, Nel – a name that sounded vaguely familiar, but I would be unable to say her entire name – before we went to look for Arturo.

"How you doing, Yumekanau?" Ichigo asked in-between hops.

Nauseous. About to pass out from the excess of speed. Felt like my lungs were sandpaper from the handfuls of sand I'd likely inhaled. "I'm fine, Kurosaki-san," I lied.

"Okay, because I can feel Nel's down in the forest," he said, "We're going to have to descend."

"Um…" I didn't get much of a word in before he started pushing the sand aside with his spiritual pressure, creating a hole big enough that we just sort of slipped through. As we got down to the bottom, he set me down beside him.

"She should be here somewhere…" he said, looking around. "Hey, Nel!" Ichigo shouted.

"Uuu…"

I turned my head to the little voice, spotting a little green haired girl – AH! That Nel! I resisted the urge to whack myself on the head. I'd forgotten.

Ichigo braced himself as Nel leaped out from behind the tree formation and practically tackled him. "Itsygo! Nel missed you so much! Itsygo hasn't visited in months! Nel thought Itsygo had forgotten about her!" Nel cried, but happily.

"Nope, I didn't forget," he said reassuringly, "Tatsuki hasn't been feeling good lately and I had to make sure she was okay," he clarified for the girl in a fairly gentle voice.

I tuned them out at that time, because something else took my attention and held it. A familiar spiritual pressure hung in the air. I turned to see someone else looking at me from by a nearby tree, seemingly torn between saying something and tackling me in a way similar the way Nel had tackled Ichigo.

Neither of us said a thing, and I stood still as he approached me and held me to him. My hands came up immediately and fisted in the fabric of his white clothing while I rested my head on the exposed part of his chest at the base of his neck.

"Why aren't you in Soul Society?" came the question after a long moment of this savored togetherness.

"I learned something and realized I couldn't stay any longer. Why aren't you in Las Noches?" I retorted back.

Arturo held me closer and hesitated to answer, which worried me. "… They turned on you."

"What?" I nearly growled once it hit me.

"The residents of Las Noches no longer acknowledge us as figures of authority," he reported, quietly almost, as not to let Ichigo hear. "I would not put it past them to attempt to kill us if we attempted to return."

My emotions stormed from this news and I felt a heat within me, perhaps a contribution from Akatora and a bit from the little one. It hurt. What about Maggie? Did Maggie betray me, too? And Szayel and everyone else? So they hated me now? The thought was almost too painful to process, that all the friends and allies I had made at Las Noches would give up on me so easily… It hurt horribly. I suddenly felt alone in this desert landscape, this white land that had been home for so long… now felt like the threatening realm it was intended to be.

No. Not for long. They'd see how much this… betrayal had hurt me.

However, first…

Arturo opened his mouth like he was about to speak, but I figured that what I had to say was far more important. I took his hand, and set it over my stomach and watched his eyes widen as his long fingers felt the bump there. His face softened, but not like one would immediately imagine. It confused me somewhat, but the look of… giving up that passed over his face lasted only a moment before he closed his eyes and when he opened them again, his expression shifted into one of conventional contentment. "I see…" he sighed.

"We need Las Noches back, Arturo. You can see why," I hissed.

Ichigo, who obviously had glanced over a few times, decided to pipe up, "If you're whispering about Yumekanau-san's pregnancy, I noticed. You don't have to whisper."

I laughed, a friendly laugh like that had been exactly what we were talking about. "Thank you, Kurosaki-san, I… I am aware of that now. Ah, as you can see, I think I'll be saying here."

Kurosaki looked at me for a moment, not really sure if he should let me stay or not, considering that Soul Society would be expecting me back that evening.

After a bit of hesitation, I told him, "Tell them I'm a traitor, if you must. I don't think I'll be going back."

"But, Cordelia-" Arturo began.

"Fine," Ichigo answered, nodding understandably. "How about instead I tell them a Hollow came out of nowhere and you died valiantly?"

I shook my head. "They wouldn't believe it. They'll more readily believe that I'm a traitor than I'm dead."

He seemed reluctant yet again, but eventually shrugged. "Fine, that's what I'll say."

I smiled at him, a smile of a person who owed someone a bunch. "Thank you, Kurosaki-san," I said, exerting my spiritual pressure the slightest bit.

As intended, Ichigo blushed a bit and looked away. I held out an arm to stop Arturo from attacking him for blushing at me.

I looked over at Arturo and smiled at him, too, watching him blush, as well, even if it wasn't nearly as intense.

Did I have feelings for Arturo Plateado? That had been the question I hadn't answered, but the answer was yes. I did, indeed, have feelings for him. I most certainly loved him.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Cordelia turned, and I still could barely believe my eyes. She looked radiant as always, a beacon of light in a world of such light-absorbing white. My heart thumped at the sight of her, her presence itself enough to make me—

Her presence.

I hesitated in approaching her for that very reason and cleared my head. They were right, there was something about her, her actual, literal _presence_ that was affecting me. There was no emotion involved in it. If I tried hard enough, if I detached myself far enough, I could feel the murderous intent I'd once held for her and only the compulsion lingering in the background like a cancer attached to my head. I couldn't maintain it, the cancer taking over again and adoration sweeping through me once more.

This needed to stop. I could no longer exist as this girl's mind-slave. However, I couldn't bully her into taking the influence off of me, considering she seemed rather oblivious to it, and once becoming aware of it, she would merely exert it more. If that occurred, I'd be lost.

The woman known as Cordelia Tucker needed to die. I didn't even care about the legendary Kurosaki Ichigo who lingered so nearby. I didn't care if I died, as well, I just needed to be free of this accursed hold she had over me.

I embraced her, knowing full well that I could snap her tiny body in two if I needed to, but perhaps snapping her neck would be easier. The issue was my own reluctance. Did this light really need to die? This beautiful, perfect, flawless being, this… godlike woman that had chosen above all that I was her favorite, that I was the one she loved… would killing her really be—

If I was fucking thinking like that, the answer was hell yes. Killing her would be justified and a good dead to the worlds—

But her smile—

But my_ freedom_—

I dutifully, almost mechanically reported the things that had occurred at Las Noches to her, I watched her become upset and in turn felt upset as well. She shouldn't be upset. She didn't need to be upset.

That was it, I would kill her and make it so she'd no longer be upset, yes, yes… that was the answer… a sacrifice… I wondered how many people of how many different species would feel her death, how many would weep and how many would curse her name on the spot—

She took my hand and placed it over her middle and I became lost.

Cordelia Tucker was with child, and not just any child, but mine. Instinct of my own kicked in, the kind that Hollows were born with, not some artificial urge caused by some Soul Reaper's Zanpakuto, but the real thing… Real territorial instinct and the need to protect one's progeny. However, it was more than that. The goddess that had chosen me, the one that had picked me from all the others… was pregnant with my child.

It wasn't that I wouldn't kill Cordelia Tucker, it was that with the combined influence of her godforsaken ability and my own instincts, I was _unable _to kill her and it tore at me to oppose her influence. However, it was only as long as I resisted that it took such strong hold in my mind, that it forced me from my actions. If I just… gave up and let it plant whatever emotion it wanted to, I would continue to have my free will, the only downfall would be that I may come accustomed to those feelings…

I didn't care. Enough fighting this. I gave up.

She saw it in my face, I could tell. It confused her, but she found some strange… amusement in from my surrender. It somehow didn't anger me, only pushed me further into this… disgusting servitude.

And when she turned later to smile at me, the look in eyes startled me.

Cordelia was not oblivious to her power. No, she could've easily been using it the whole time. Well…

Did I care? I should. It frustrated me that I didn't care. Did this mean I had feelings for the girl?

Perhaps. Perhaps somewhere deep down past the burning hatred that was brewing, I had some inkling of love or whatever the emotion was.

However, such things were insignificant. Neither her feelings nor mine mattered in this case. She belonged to me and I would keep it that way.

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I had him carry me bridal style and reveled in every moment of it. Oh, how much I loved him.

When we arrived at Las Noches, I felt the changed atmosphere easily… It had changed. It didn't feel as welcoming as when I'd first been there and it made me tense.

We were greeted by the same person we'd met before, plus several others. Ulquiorra, Halibel, and Grimmjow had all come and basically detained us. Arturo was irate about it, but I asked him to be calm, told him I had a plan.

They didn't say a word to us, Grimmjow sending me nervous glances as if I was something nasty from the dark corners of some kid's nightmares. It was likely they'd been instructed not to say anything to us. That was smart of them, considering that my passive influence hinged on words exchanged.

The throne room where Coyote Starrk lounged lazily on the throne that Aizen Sousuke had once sat upon… was filled with nearly every Arrancar in Las Noches.

Oh, so they'd been prepared for us. I nearly wanted to cry. I looked to Maggie, who couldn't look back at me, but she certainly had to feel my presence… But I saw no remorse in her expression, only cold, hard, obedience.

Szayel must've analyzed my abilities and told them what I could do. He was a traitor. I looked to him, and saw only scorn.

Tears welled in my eyes. "I'm sorry you all feel this way…" I said softly, wanting to reach out and touch the faces of all the friends who'd abandoned me.

Several of them looked up to Starrk, and I realized that they were waiting for his signal. I heard Arturo unsheathe his Zanpakuto behind me, and I unsheathed mine…

It wasn't until I unsheathed mine that I started to see panic. Using this brief window of opportunity, I made my move.

"Bankai," I said softly through tears, the sound loud and clear in the silent room, "Chimamire no Akatora… Rakukantekina Kyōkan."

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A/N: Before I get complaints telling me that Cordelia's over-powered, I'd like to remind that so is Arturo, so is Aizen, so is every single Bleach antagonist. All of them are over-powered.

So why shouldn't Cordelia be over-powered?

… She is this story's true antagonist, after all.


	16. Puppets

Tale of a Traitor

Chapter Sixteen: Puppets

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Shoulders burdened with the weight of attempted domination, Magdalena Yeux experienced a phenomenon that hadn't happened to her in nearly a century. She wept, blood dripping from the mutilated empty sockets due to the excessive strain of spiritual pressure. Her hands shot out in front of her, searching for her mistress's sleeve to cling to but finding no purchase. Desperately, she chirped, the room coming back into perspective with something horribly wrong.

Everyone was on their knees. Moira, Szayel, Grimmjow, everyone knelt and fought against the emotion that violated them. This wasn't any illusion. This was no creation of the mists. Euphoria raced through Magdalena's body, coaxing her towards the higher being before her. She would not fall to this… gross manipulation, this aberration. Magdalena stumbled, her stomach twisting. Another chirp. Cordelia stared at her and Arturo stood shakily at her side.

This stung. This stung her hard like betrayal. She thought back to all the days they spent together, running around Las Noches like a pair of teenaged human girls. How strange, that she had behaved like that. She was a solemn creature like her mistress, a child that clung to her 'mother's' skirt. What had changed her; what had made her rebel against her dearest Mistress?

"What…" Magdalena managed, "… what have you done to us? _What have you done_!?" she shrieked, pushing through the barriers of emotion and making a blind charge for the traitor. It all happened so fast.

She barely made it halfway when she fell to the ground, tripped up by an intentional foot that proceeded to plant itself firmly on her back. Magdalena felt the being's spiritual pressure, recognizing the being as the traitor's mate. There would be no fighting him.

"Maggie…" the traitor said hesitantly, an amount of fear in her voice.

Plateado's foot crushed down on the back of her neck. Magdalena gasped.

"No! Don't hurt her!" Cordelia cried out, "I don't want her harmed!"

The traitor's mate scoffed. "She would endanger you. I will not have this _foolish_ opposition."

Magdalena Yeux's neck snapped, loud and wet.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

I stood in baffled, stunned silence, too overwhelmed by Arturo's actions to act when two simultaneous roars of outrage came from the reluctantly subjugated crowds around me.

Staring down at Magdalena's dead form, I could easily guess from whom the screams of anguish had originated. Arturo focused on Grimmjow, blades crossing and eventually the Espada fell bloody and wounded to the ground. Not dead, but damn well close to it.

My hands shook and tears welled in my eyes. No one else would dare attack now, not while I was in Bankai, not while I was this upset.

Strangely, despite his immediate assaults on Magdalena and Grimmjow, Arturo did nothing to stop Moira Desmarais from advancing. I stood and, despite my better judgment, clung to Arturo's arm, afraid of what the bestial woman would do.

Moira knelt down and cradled Maggie gently in her arms. With one hand she caressed the girl's cheeks, the other she drew her Zanpakuto. The Espada made a swift, brutal movement and I jumped as she cut Magdalena's head nearly clean off.

I didn't question it, I was frightened and disgusted and I clung tighter to Arturo. Once he would've scolded me for acting weak. Now, I figured that to him I was supposed to show weakness. He would protect me.

I watched Moira sew Maggie's head back onto her neck, needle infused with glowing reiatsu. As the last stitch was placed, Magdalena gasped in a breath.

I gave a sigh of relief. Puppet Construction. Magdalena had once told me about it. I hadn't known that it had the power to bring them back from the dead.

Arturo pulled from my grip and I floundered to reach for him, still scared. "Next time anyone threatens the wellbeing of my mate and whelp, I will not allow any _survivors_."

After a long moment of silence, I let up on my hold, allowing them to have emotions of their own now. Another long moment passed.

Starrk slowly rose to his feet. "… Are you willing to place your reputation and alliances among your fellows to be jeopardized by one Shinigami, Arturo?" I could feel his spiritual pressure, and Arturo was far too strong for anyone here to beat him one-on-one. With my ability, I could help make sure that his battled remained just that – one-on-one.

Arturo faltered and for a moment I panicked as I felt my hold slip. No, no, without Arturo nothing mattered! My hold on his heart needed to remain firm. As my hold tightened, the resistance increased and I couldn't stop my heart from racing. What would happen if my hold slipped? Would his Arrancar instincts still be in command, the part of him that were possessive and protective of pregnant me, or would he overcome those as well and leave me? Or worse… send me back to Seireitei?

He turned back and held my fearful gaze, eyes narrowed. Not resentment as much as it was scolding. Perhaps it was a challenge to see if I could keep hold of him as he resisted me so viciously. A power struggle? I gulped and met his gaze, knowing he could see the desperation in my eyes and feel it in the empathetic reiatsu that permeated the chamber.

As the resistance continued to increase, I made a decision.

I let my hold drop substantially. Arturo's eyes widened and the hand holding his sword twitched as he walked towards me. I squeezed my eyes shut. Of _course_ he hated me. Everyone always did. I was annoying and only caused trouble. I was lazy. I was selfish. I was worthless. I let my friends die. I couldn't even save Sachirou… Of course I was despicable. Here I stood, surrounded by people who, given the chance, would run me through in an instant.

I swallowed and held my ground, standing tall.

And Arturo's strong arms wrapped possessively around my midsection, just like always. "Do you really think your petty force matters to me? I'm not here to make friendly chat with you domesticated animals," he growled.

I was elated. I held onto him, resting my head against his chest. He could be trusted. I was tempted to let my hold drop altogether, as I still had some leash on him, but it wasn't so strong he couldn't oppose me.

"I'm sure you'll all be conspiring against us. I don't care. Make your plans. All of them will fail," Arturo declared and tugged me along as he stalked out of the hall.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

We returned to my room after that and he dropped me onto the bed. He took me fiercely, the lack of actual thought in his eyes frightening me, especially in contrast to the calculating intelligence he'd had in the past, knowing exactly where to leave bruises and where to bite. Now, he had none of those things, only raw emotion.

Despite the tension in the air, not a single touch left behind a bruise, and when he actually entered me I could feel some amount of reverence, possession… even a hint of desperation. It startled me.

He finished first, but then lifted my legs up and finished me off with his tongue before laying down beside me and letting me cling to him. We had done this before; too, he'd linger and let me cling. I remembered Soifon who always thought the habit was annoying, that both of us had business to attend to and taking up time by cuddling was a waste. I figured that Arturo probably shared those views, at least perhaps thinking that cuddling was pointless. It said something that he let me do it.

There was a long silence, the post-coital bliss not quite enough to cover the awkwardness.

Arturo spoke first for once. "How long do shinigami bear their offspring?" he asked.

I blinked. "I would assume that it's the same as humans. Nine months."

"Are you sure?" he said, full of stern concern.

"Nope." I answered quickly and without my usual anecdotes. I didn't really want to talk to him about much. I'd watched him kill Magdalena, even if she hadn't stayed that way. There would be nothing to stop him from doing it again and then putting a cero through Moira's head before she could do anything about it.

Despite this I clung to him tighter.

He sighed and looked off above my head.

Then I said the words he probably didn't want to hear. "Szayel might know."

"I won't allow it," he hissed.

I pouted and retook some of my hold on him. "But it's for my own safety; we have to know what's necessary-"

Arturo growled and gripped my wrists, forcing me onto my back as he loomed over me. "Don't you dare," he snarled through clenched teeth, "You've screwed me up enough already. I won't have you messing with my head like I'm a disciple to kneel at your feet. Play at being a goddess all you want, just don't assume to control me as well," he got closer, lowering down inches from my face. "… Do not waste your energy on me when it could be better allocated elsewhere, Cordelia," Arturo concluded.

He didn't know I still maintained hold.

I exhaled. "You…?"

He hissed at my implied question and kissed at my neck.

My breath picked up a little and I smiled, happy beyond explanation. "I love you."

Arturo paused briefly before promptly continuing to leave marks over my flesh, nothing about his mannerisms changed from before I said it. I could accept that. It was all right if he couldn't express it. It was all right. Everything was perfect in that moment.

I knew better than to wish for this happiness to last. It wouldn't. I'd have our child. We'd attack Soul Society.

The goal was the same as before, the plans just looked different now.


End file.
